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A.Word.A.Day--whelp

whelp (hwelp, welp) noun

1. A young offspring of a mammal, such as a dog or wolf.

2. A child; a youth. An impudent young fellow.

3. A tooth of a sprocket wheel. Nautical. Any of the ridges on the barrel of a windlass or capstan.

verb intr.

To give birth to whelps or a whelp.

verb tr.

To give birth to (whelps or a whelp).

[Middle English, from Old English hwelp.]

"Most bookstores feature a sizable self-whelp section, including such pup-psychology titles as When Good Dogs Do Bad Things ...." Lauren Picker: A Pile of Dog Books, Book-of-the-Mutt Club, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan 1994.

This week's theme: words for animal offspring.

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