Whelpen

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Archaic term for the young of an animal such as a dog, lion or bear ; to bring forth offspring, as a mother dog or lioness does
2. Old-fashioned word for a litter of young animals, like puppies or cubs ; to produce and bear young, said of a female animal
3. Obsolete plural for newborn animal offspring, especially pups or cubs ; an archaic verb meaning to give birth to a litter

Etymology: Middle English "whelpen" means to give birth to a young animal, especially a dog, wolf, or lion, and it comes from Old English "hwelpan," itself from the Proto-Germanic root behind "whelp." The verb is a straightforward derivation: English speakers took the noun "whelp" and made it an action, so to whelp is to produce whelps. The noun is the older and better-attested form, meaning a young animal, particularly a puppy or cub. Its ancestry runs back to Proto-Germanic "*hwelpaz," and its cognates in other Germanic languages, such as Dutch "welp" and German "Welp," point to the same sense of a young beast. Its earliest uses in English were applied to the young of canines and felines, and that restriction survives in the verb, which is still used of dogs, cats, and similar animals.