Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Same as whelk.
  • To fade; decline; decrease.
  • To wither; wrinkle; shrivel.
  • noun Same as whelk.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb obsolete To wither; to fade; also, to decay; to decline; to wane.
  • noun (Zoöl.), rare A whelk.
  • transitive verb obsolete To cause to wither; to wilt.
  • transitive verb obsolete To contract; to shorten.
  • transitive verb Prov. Eng. To soak; also, to beat severely.
  • noun A pustule. See 2d whelk.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb obsolete Of a plant: to wither, wilt, decay.
  • verb obsolete To diminish; to lose brightness, to wane.
  • verb dialectal to soak, steep.
  • verb dialectal to thrash, beat severely.
  • noun Alternative form of whelk.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Probably from a continental Germanic language; compare Dutch welken, German welken.

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Examples

Comments

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  • To twist about. (from Phrontistery)

    May 24, 2008