whelp

Etymology 1

From Middle English whelp, from Old English hwelp, from Proto-West Germanic *hwelp, from Proto-Germanic *hwelpaz (compare Dutch welp, German Welpe, Old Norse hvelpr, Norwegian Nynorsk kvelp, Danish hvalp), from pre-Germanic *kʷelbos, of uncertain origin.

noun

1. A young offspring of a canid (ursid, felid, pinniped), especially of a dog or a wolf, the young of a bear or similar mammal (lion, tiger, seal); a pup, wolf cub.
2. (derogatory) An insolent youth; a mere child.
   July 13, 1713, Joseph Addison, The Guardian That awkward whelp with his money bags would have made his entrance.
   October 22, 2011, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, "Luna Eclipsed" Thy backside is whole and ungobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!
3. (obsolete) A kind of ship.
4. One of several wooden strips to prevent wear on a windlass on a clipper-era ship.
5. A tooth on a sprocket wheel (compare sprocket and cog).

Etymology 2

From Middle English whelpen, from Old English hwelpian, derived from hwelp.

verb

1. (transitive, intransitive, of she-dog, she-wolf, vixen, etc.) To give birth.
   The bitch whelped.
   The she-wolf whelped a large litter of cubs.

Etymology 3

Variant of welp.

intj

1. Alternative form of welp (“well”)