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welk

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welk¹

  • /wɛlk/

Rhymes with -ɛlk

Where it comes from

From Middle English welken, probably from a continental Germanic language; compare Middle Dutch welken (Dutch welken) and Middle Low German welken. Cognate with German welken. Ultimately, from Proto-West Germanic *wilkijan (“to become soft”), from Proto-Germanic *welkaz (“soft, withered”), according to Kluge, related to *wulkną (“cloud”).

Compare also Old English wealwian (“to fade, wither”), Old English wlacu (“tepid, lukewarm”).

verb welks · welking · welked

  1. obsolete Of a plant: to wither, wilt, decay.
  2. obsolete To diminish; to lose brightness, to wane. As gentle Shepheard in ſweete euentide, / When ruddy Phebus gins to welke in weſt, [...]
  3. dialectal to soak, steep.
  4. dialectal to thrash, beat severely.
  5. To contract; to shorten. But nowe ſadde Winter welked hath the day, / And Phœbus weary of his yerely taſ-ke: / Yſtabled hath his ſteedes in lowlye laye / And taken vp his ynne in Fiſhes haſ-ke.
  6. transitive To form into wrinkles or ridges.

welk²

  • /wɛlk/

Rhymes with -ɛlk

noun welks

  1. alternative Alternative form of whelk

Welk³

Where it comes from

* As a German surname, variant of Welge, from Middle Low German welich (“lively, luxuriant”), from Old Saxon welag, from Proto-West Germanic *welag; also as a variant of Welsch.

* Also as a German surname, from archaic Middle High German welc (“mild, soft”), from the root of the verb welken (“to wither”).

* As a Lower Sorbian surname, from wjelk (“wolf”).

* Also as a Sorbian surname, from the personal name Welimir, from Proto-Slavic *velь (“great”).

proper noun Welks

  1. A surname.

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MLA

"welk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/welk. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

welk. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/welk

Chicago

"welk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/welk.

BibTeX
@misc{welk_2026,
  title = {welk},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/welk},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}