Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Whelk \Whelk\, n. [OE. whelke, dim. of whele. See {Wheal} a
   pustule.]
   1. A papule; a pustule; acne. ``His whelks white.''
      --Chaucer.

   2. A stripe or mark; a ridge; a wale.

   {Chin whelk} (Med.), sycosis.

   {Rosy whelk} (Med.), grog blossom.