whelp Hear it!

whelp definition

whelp (hwelp, welp)

noun

  1. a young dog; puppy
  2. a young lion, tiger, leopard, bear, wolf, etc.; cub
  3. a youth or child: a term showing contempt
  4. any of the teeth on a sprocket wheel
  5. Naut. any of the ribs or ridges along the barrel of a capstan or the drum of a windlass: usually used in pl.

Etymology: ME < OE hwelp, akin to Ger welf, ON hvelpr, puppy, prob. < IE *kwel-, var. of base *kel-, to cry out, call > low, Welsh colwyn, puppy

transitive verb, intransitive verb

to give birth to (young): said of some animals

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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