noun
whelk
WELK/welk/
A marine snail with a spiral shell.
A whelk crawls across the seabed on its muscular foot.
Etymology
Old English weoloc already denoted a marine snail; the modern word preserves that animal name. A suggested connection with turning, fitting the spiral shell, remains uncertain.
In context
usually works best with a whelk shell, usually bigger than this one. And when you put it up to your ear
More examples
- The whelk pulls its body back into its spiral shell.
- We find several whelks in the shallow water.
- The restaurant serves steamed whelks with garlic butter.
Forms
whelk · whelks