whelk
whelk
Definition
whelk (hwelk, welk)
noun
any of various families (esp. Buccinidae) of large marine snails which are often carnivorous and edible
Etymology: ME welke < OE wioluc < IE base *wel-, to turn (with reference to the spiral shell) > walk
whelk
Usage Examples
Adjective modifier
- common: These pollutants have led to decreases in the populations of common whelks in the North Sea and cause DNA breakdown in some marine organisms.
Modifies a noun
- stall: Whelk stalls selling cooked whelks used to be very common in the north of England.
- shell: A broken whelk shell reveals how the animal's body fits within the curled chamber.
- egg: Whelk egg mass is also known as ' sea wash balls ' because early sailors used them for washing.
- case: I have also discovered this sea slug in egg whelk cases.
- ball: Whelk egg balls were present and it would be surprising if they weren't and some were probably blown even further inland.
Noun used with modifier
Browse dictionary entries near whelk
- wheezy
- wheeze
- wheen
- wheelwright
- wheelwork
- wheels
- wheelman
- Wheeling
- wheelie
- wheelhouse
- whelm
- whelp
- when
- when distributed
- when-issued
- whenas
- whence
- whencesoever
- whenever
- whensoever
