Meanings
whelk1
plural whelks · alternative welk · alternative whilk · alternative obsolete wilk
- Certain edible sea snails, especially, any one of numerous species of large marine gastropods belonging to Buccinidae, much used as food in Europe.
Synonyms: sea cornet, scungilli
whelk2
plural whelks · alternative welk · alternative whilk · alternative obsolete wilk
- archaicPimple.
his face is all bubukles , and whelks , and knobs
1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v] - A stripe or mark; a ridge; a wale.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounCertain edible sea snails, especially, any one of numerous species of large marine gastropods belonging to Buccinidae, much used as food in Europe.
Origin
whelk · noun
- Proto-Indo-European*welH-“to turn, revolve”
- Proto-West Germanic*weluk
- Old Englishweoloc
- Middle Englishwhelke
- Englishwhelk
From Middle English whelke, a variant of welk, from Old English weoloc, wiloc, wioloc, weluc, from Proto-West Germanic *weluk (compare Middle Dutch willoc, Dutch wulk), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn, revolve”) (whence vulva and volute). Unetymological spelling with wh- from the 15th century.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →whelk · noun
- Old Englishhwelca“pustule, swelling”
- Middle Englishwhelke
- Englishwhelk
From Middle English whelke, from Old English hwelca (“pustule, swelling”).
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 峨螺
- 峨螺 (éluó)edible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Czech surmovka
- surmovkaedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Danish konk
- konkedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Dutch wulk
- wulkedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Finnish kuningaskotilo
- kuningaskotiloedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
French buccin, bulot
- buccinedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
- bulotedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
German Wellhornschnecke
- Wellhornschneckeedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Greek φουσκαλίδα
- φουσκαλίδα (fouskalída)edible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Hungarian kürtcsiga
- kürtcsigaedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Icelandic beitukóngur
- beitukónguredible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Irish faocha choirn, faocha chapaill
- faocha choirnedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
- faocha chapailledible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
- cuachmaedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Japanese エゾバイ, ツブ
- エゾバイ (ezobai)edible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
- ツブ (tsubu)edible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Māori huamutu, kākara
- huamutuedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
- kākaraedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Portuguese búzio
- búzioedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Russian труборо́г, труба́ч
- труборо́г (truboróg)edible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
- труба́ч (trubáč)edible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Scottish Gaelic faochag, cnomhag
- faochagedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
- cnomhagedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
- faochanedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
- cnomhadanedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
- conachedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
- faochag-mhóredible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
- cona-bhocanedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
- conachagedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
- gobhar-breacedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Spanish buccino
- buccinoedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Swedish vanlig valthornssnäcka
- vanlig valthornssnäckaedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Vietnamese ốc bulot
- ốc bulotedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Welsh gwichiad moch
- gwichiad mochedible sea snail of the family Buccinidae
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with whelk
All rhymes →Cite this entry
whelk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whelk
“whelk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whelk. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “whelk,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whelk.
Source: whelk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.