whelk

1 [hwelk, welk]
noun
any of several large, spiral-shelled, marine gastropods of the family Buccinidae, especially Buccinum undatum, that is used for food in Europe.
Origin:
before 900; late Middle English, aspirated variant of Middle English welk, Old English weoloc

Dictionary.com Unabridged

whelk

2 [hwelk, welk]
noun
a pimple or pustule.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English whelke, Old English hwylca, hwelca; akin to wheal

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Whelk is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
whelk1 (wɛlk) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
any carnivorous marine gastropod mollusc of the family Buccinidae, of coastal waters and intertidal regions, having a strong snail-like shell
 
[Old English weoloc; related to Middle Dutch willok, Old Norse vil entrails]

whelk2 (wɛlk) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
a raised lesion on the skin; wheal
 
[Old English hwylca, of obscure origin]
 
'whelky2
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

whelk
"large marine snail," O.E. weoloc, wioloc, from P.Gmc. *weluka- (cf. M.Du. willoc, Du. wulk), perhaps from PIE base *wel- "to turn, revolve" (see vulva; cf. also volute). The spelling with wh- dates from 15c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

whelk (wělk)
n.
An inflamed swelling, such as a pimple or pustule.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
The whelk pries the clam open with its muscular foot, wedges the clam open with
  its shell, then eats the soft inside of the clam.
He shouldn't be in charge of a whelk stall never mind the future of the country.
Comb the beach for sea stars, keyhole urchins and whelk shells.
For example, there are several different color dog whelk shells and ochre sea
  stars.
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