whelp

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Contents

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

From Old English hwelp, cognate with Dutch welp, obsolete German Welf (modern German Welpe), Old Norse hvelpr ( > Danish hvalp, Icelandic hvolpur, Swedish valp).

[edit] Noun

Singular
whelp

Plural
whelps

whelp (plural whelps)

  1. the young of a mammal.
  2. an insolent youth.
  3. one of several wooden strips to prevent wear on a windlass on a clipper-era ship.

[edit] Verb

Infinitive
to whelp

Third person singular
whelps

Simple past
whelped

Past participle
whelped

Present participle
whelping

to whelp (third-person singular simple present whelps, present participle whelping, simple past and past participle whelped)

  1. to give birth.
    The bitch whelped.