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whelk

 [hwelk, welk]   Origin

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

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Whelk is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
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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. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
whelk1 (wɛlk)
 
—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)
 
—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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