WHELK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does whelk mean? 

• WHELK (noun)
  The noun WHELK has 2 senses:

1. large marine snail much used as food in Europe

2. large carnivorous marine gastropods of coastal waters and intertidal regions having a strong snail-like shell

  Familiarity information: WHELK used as a noun is rare.

• WHELK (verb)
  The verb WHELK has 1 sense:

1. gather whelk

  Familiarity information: WHELK used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WHELK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Large marine snail much used as food in Europe

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Hypernyms ("whelk" is a kind of...):

seafood (edible fish (broadly including freshwater fish) or shellfish or roe etc)

Holonyms ("whelk" is a substance of...):

whelk (large carnivorous marine gastropods of coastal waters and intertidal regions having a strong snail-like shell)

Derivation:

whelk (gather whelk)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Large carnivorous marine gastropods of coastal waters and intertidal regions having a strong snail-like shell

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("whelk" is a kind of...):

seasnail (any of several creeping marine gastropods with a spirally coiled shell: whelks; tritons; moon shells; neritids)

Meronyms (substance of "whelk"):

whelk (large marine snail much used as food in Europe)

Holonyms ("whelk" is a member of...):

Buccinidae; family Buccinidae (whelks)

Derivation:

whelk (gather whelk)

• WHELK (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Gather whelk

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Hypernyms (to "whelk" is one way to...):

snail (gather snails)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence example:

In the summer they like to go out and whelk

Derivation:

whelk (large carnivorous marine gastropods of coastal waters and intertidal regions having a strong snail-like shell)

whelk (large marine snail much used as food in Europe)