whelp
A young offspring of a various carnivores, especially of a dog or a wolf, the young of…A young offspring of a various carnivores (canid, ursid, felid, pinniped), especially of a dog or a wolf, the young of a bear or similar mammal (lion, tiger, seal); a pup, wolf cub.
» I hope to attend the whelping of my goat.
Meaning
5 sensesA young offspring of a various carnivores (canid, ursid, felid, pinniped), especially of a dog or a wolf, the young of a bear or similar mammal (lion, tiger, seal); a pup, wolf cub.
Welpe, Welpin
щено́кščenók
young of any of various canines such as a dog or wolf
(derogatory)An insolent youth; a mere child.
July 13, 1713, Joseph Addison, The Guardian That awkward whelp with his money bags would have made his entrance.
October 22, 2011, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, "Luna Eclipsed" Thy backside is whole and ungobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!
One of several wooden strips to prevent wear on a windlass on a clipper-era ship.
A tooth on a sprocket wheel (compare sprocket and cog).
(obsolete)A kind of ship.
Examples
2 sentencesI hope to attend the whelping of my goat.
The chief havoc was committed by a she-wolf, which, with her annual litter of whelps, had infested the neighbourhood.
Translations
8 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
From Middle English whelp, from Old English hwelp, from Proto-West Germanic *hwelp, from PFrom Middle English whelp, from Old English hwelp, from Proto-West Germanic *hwelp, from Proto-Germanic *hwelpaz (compare Dutch welp, German Welpe, Welfe, Old Norse hvelpr, Norwegian Nynorsk kvelp, Danish hvalp), from pre-Germanic *kʷelbos, of uncertain origin.
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Forms
plural: whelpsSynonyms
1 synonyms- young of any of various canines such as a dog or wolf:pup