Whelk
/wɛlk/noun
A marine snail with a spiral shell, especially one used as food in some regions.
Did you know?Whelk is historically tied to old Germanic words for a shell or spiral form, showing how everyday sea life preserved a very ancient root in English.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wel-
“to turn, roll, or twist”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hwel- / *hwelk-
“a shell or something rolled into a curved form”
Old English
OE
hweolc / hwylc
“a shellfish or spiral shell”
Middle English
ME
whelk
“a whelk; a marine shellfish”
Modern English
English
whelk
“a large marine gastropod, especially one with a spiral shell”