hwelp

Middle English

Noun

hwelp

1. (Early Middle English) Alternative form of whelp

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *hwelpaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xwelp/, [ʍeɫp]

Noun

hwelp m

1. puppy
   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Matthew 15:27

     Þā hwelpas etaþ of þām crumum þe of heora hlāforda bēodum feallaþ.

     The puppies eat from the crumbs that fall from their owners' tables.

2. cub, pup
   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius' History Against the Pagans

     Sēo lēo bringþ hungrigum hwelpum hwæt tō etenne.

     The lion brings hungry cubs something to eat.

   • The Life of Malchus

     Wē ġesāwon þā lēon on þām eorþsċræfe mid hire hwelpum.

     We saw the lion in the cave with its cubs.

Usage notes

• It is unknown exactly which set of animals hwelp could describe—perhaps the answer is simply "non-human mammals." In Old English, the word is attested for puppies, wolf pups, bear cubs, and lion cubs. In Middle English, it is attested for tiger cubs and baby monkeys as well.

• Note that some animals have a special word to designate their young. Such words include bridd (“chick”), bulluc (“male calf”), ċealf (“calf,” also used of fawns), fearh (“piglet”), fola (“foal,” also used of elephant and camel calves), lamb (“lamb”), tiċċen (“kid”), and trēowwyrm (“caterpillar”). Unattested *hūn appears in many names such as Ælfhūn and is often supposed to mean “bear cub,” like Old Norse húnn, though it is unclear whether it was still used as an independent word in the Old English period.

Declension

Declension of hwelp (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	hwelp	hwelpas
accusative	hwelp	hwelpas
genitive	hwelpes	hwelpa
dative	hwelpe	hwelpum

Derived terms

• hwelpian

Descendants

• Middle English: whelp, quelp, quelpe, qwelp, qwelpe, welp, welpe, whelpe; ȝwelp, hwelp, hweolp, whellp
  • English: whelp
  • Scots: whalp, whaulp

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *hwelpaz.

Noun

hwelp m

1. a whelp, pup