See whelp in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"descendants": [
{
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"word": "whelp"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "whalp"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "whaulp"
}
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "ang",
"3": "hwelp"
},
"expansion": "Old English hwelp",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "gmw-pro",
"3": "*hwelp"
},
"expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *hwelp",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "gem-pro",
"3": "*hwelpaz"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Germanic *hwelpaz",
"name": "inh"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Old English hwelp, from Proto-West Germanic *hwelp, from Proto-Germanic *hwelpaz.\nThe West Midland forms hweolp, weolp show a development of /ɛ/ into /œ/ under the influence of the preceding /w/ and the following labial (like tweolf, weob, weopmon).",
"forms": [
{
"form": "whelpes",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
},
{
"form": "qwelpe",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "welp",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "welpe",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "whelpe",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "hwelp",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Early-Middle-English"
]
},
{
"form": "hweolp",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Early-Middle-English"
]
},
{
"form": "whellp",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Ormulum"
]
},
{
"form": "quelp",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Northern",
"especially"
]
},
{
"form": "quelpe",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Northern",
"especially"
]
},
{
"form": "quilpe",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Northern",
"especially"
]
},
{
"form": "qwelp",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Northern",
"especially"
]
},
{
"form": "ȝwelp",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Southern"
]
},
{
"form": "weolp",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "noun",
"g": "",
"g2": "",
"g3": "",
"head": "",
"sort": ""
},
"expansion": "whelp",
"name": "head"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "whelpes"
},
"expansion": "whelp (plural whelpes)",
"name": "enm-noun"
}
],
"lang": "Middle English",
"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "noun",
"related": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
"word": "whelpen"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
"word": "whelpynge"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "42 52 3 3",
"kind": "other",
"langcode": "enm",
"name": "Baby animals",
"orig": "enm:Baby animals",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "48 9 20 23",
"kind": "other",
"langcode": "enm",
"name": "Dogs",
"orig": "enm:Dogs",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "33 12 26 30",
"kind": "other",
"langcode": "enm",
"name": "Machines",
"orig": "enm:Machines",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A whelp (a puppy; a baby dog)"
],
"id": "en-whelp-enm-noun-GsJlwWDN",
"links": [
[
"whelp",
"whelp#English"
],
[
"puppy",
"puppy#English"
],
[
"baby",
"baby#English"
],
[
"dog",
"dog#English"
]
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "42 52 3 3",
"kind": "other",
"langcode": "enm",
"name": "Baby animals",
"orig": "enm:Baby animals",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "33 12 26 30",
"kind": "other",
"langcode": "enm",
"name": "Machines",
"orig": "enm:Machines",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
36,
43
]
],
"bold_translation_offsets": [
[
38,
46
]
],
"english": "The snake of poisonous envy has seven children. Ingratitude: this child is nurtured by whoever hasn't acknowledged benefits and hardly thinks about or [even] entirely forgets [them].",
"ref": "c. 1225, Ancrene Ƿiſſe (MS. Corpus Christi 402), Ludlow, Shropshire, published c. 1235, folio 53, verso; republished at Cambridge: Parker Library on the Web, 21 January 2018:",
"text": "Þe neddꝛe of attrı onde haueð ſeoue hƿelpeſ. Ingratıtudo. þıſ cundel bꝛet hwa ſe nıſ ıcnaƿen goddede. ah teleð lutel þrof. oþer foꝛȝet mıd alle.",
"translation": "The snake of poisonous envy has seven children. Ingratitude: this child is nurtured by whoever hasn't acknowledged benefits and hardly thinks about or [even] entirely forgets [them].",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A whelp (the young of other animals, especially canids and felids)"
],
"id": "en-whelp-enm-noun-2zFu6F~a",
"links": [
[
"whelp",
"whelp#English"
],
[
"young",
"young#English"
],
[
"animal",
"animal#English"
],
[
"canids",
"canids#English"
],
[
"felids",
"felids#English"
]
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "33 12 26 30",
"kind": "other",
"langcode": "enm",
"name": "Machines",
"orig": "enm:Machines",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A whelp (as an insulting term)"
],
"id": "en-whelp-enm-noun-EXzOHH6K",
"links": [
[
"whelp",
"whelp#English"
],
[
"insulting",
"insulting#English"
],
[
"term",
"term#English"
]
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "33 12 26 30",
"kind": "other",
"langcode": "enm",
"name": "Machines",
"orig": "enm:Machines",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An unknown mechanical device or system."
],
"id": "en-whelp-enm-noun-7hFUCy7m",
"links": [
[
"unknown",
"unknown"
],
[
"mechanical",
"mechanical"
],
[
"device",
"device"
],
[
"system",
"system"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(rare) An unknown mechanical device or system."
],
"tags": [
"rare"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/hwɛlp/"
},
{
"ipa": "/wɛlp/",
"tags": [
"dialectal"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/xwɛlp/",
"tags": [
"dialectal"
]
}
],
"word": "whelp"
}
{
"categories": [
"Middle English derogatory terms",
"Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
"Middle English lemmas",
"Middle English nouns",
"Middle English terms derived from Old English",
"Middle English terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
"Middle English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic",
"Middle English terms inherited from Old English",
"Middle English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic",
"Middle English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic",
"Pages with 2 entries",
"Pages with entries",
"enm:Baby animals",
"enm:Dogs",
"enm:Machines"
],
"descendants": [
{
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"word": "whelp"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "whalp"
},
{
"lang": "Scots",
"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "whaulp"
}
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "ang",
"3": "hwelp"
},
"expansion": "Old English hwelp",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "gmw-pro",
"3": "*hwelp"
},
"expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *hwelp",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "gem-pro",
"3": "*hwelpaz"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Germanic *hwelpaz",
"name": "inh"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Old English hwelp, from Proto-West Germanic *hwelp, from Proto-Germanic *hwelpaz.\nThe West Midland forms hweolp, weolp show a development of /ɛ/ into /œ/ under the influence of the preceding /w/ and the following labial (like tweolf, weob, weopmon).",
"forms": [
{
"form": "whelpes",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
},
{
"form": "qwelpe",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "welp",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "welpe",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "whelpe",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "hwelp",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Early-Middle-English"
]
},
{
"form": "hweolp",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Early-Middle-English"
]
},
{
"form": "whellp",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Ormulum"
]
},
{
"form": "quelp",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Northern",
"especially"
]
},
{
"form": "quelpe",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Northern",
"especially"
]
},
{
"form": "quilpe",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Northern",
"especially"
]
},
{
"form": "qwelp",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Northern",
"especially"
]
},
{
"form": "ȝwelp",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"Southern"
]
},
{
"form": "weolp",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "noun",
"g": "",
"g2": "",
"g3": "",
"head": "",
"sort": ""
},
"expansion": "whelp",
"name": "head"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "whelpes"
},
"expansion": "whelp (plural whelpes)",
"name": "enm-noun"
}
],
"lang": "Middle English",
"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "noun",
"related": [
{
"word": "whelpen"
},
{
"word": "whelpynge"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"glosses": [
"A whelp (a puppy; a baby dog)"
],
"links": [
[
"whelp",
"whelp#English"
],
[
"puppy",
"puppy#English"
],
[
"baby",
"baby#English"
],
[
"dog",
"dog#English"
]
]
},
{
"categories": [
"Middle English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
36,
43
]
],
"bold_translation_offsets": [
[
38,
46
]
],
"english": "The snake of poisonous envy has seven children. Ingratitude: this child is nurtured by whoever hasn't acknowledged benefits and hardly thinks about or [even] entirely forgets [them].",
"ref": "c. 1225, Ancrene Ƿiſſe (MS. Corpus Christi 402), Ludlow, Shropshire, published c. 1235, folio 53, verso; republished at Cambridge: Parker Library on the Web, 21 January 2018:",
"text": "Þe neddꝛe of attrı onde haueð ſeoue hƿelpeſ. Ingratıtudo. þıſ cundel bꝛet hwa ſe nıſ ıcnaƿen goddede. ah teleð lutel þrof. oþer foꝛȝet mıd alle.",
"translation": "The snake of poisonous envy has seven children. Ingratitude: this child is nurtured by whoever hasn't acknowledged benefits and hardly thinks about or [even] entirely forgets [them].",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A whelp (the young of other animals, especially canids and felids)"
],
"links": [
[
"whelp",
"whelp#English"
],
[
"young",
"young#English"
],
[
"animal",
"animal#English"
],
[
"canids",
"canids#English"
],
[
"felids",
"felids#English"
]
]
},
{
"glosses": [
"A whelp (as an insulting term)"
],
"links": [
[
"whelp",
"whelp#English"
],
[
"insulting",
"insulting#English"
],
[
"term",
"term#English"
]
]
},
{
"categories": [
"Middle English terms with rare senses"
],
"glosses": [
"An unknown mechanical device or system."
],
"links": [
[
"unknown",
"unknown"
],
[
"mechanical",
"mechanical"
],
[
"device",
"device"
],
[
"system",
"system"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(rare) An unknown mechanical device or system."
],
"tags": [
"rare"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/hwɛlp/"
},
{
"ipa": "/wɛlp/",
"tags": [
"dialectal"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/xwɛlp/",
"tags": [
"dialectal"
]
}
],
"word": "whelp"
}
Download raw JSONL data for whelp meaning in Middle English (4.4kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Middle English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-05-23 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-05-01 using wiktextract (8336b26 and ae80fde). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.