# welk

> English word · Verb · IPA /wɛlk/ · frequency rank #97,708

## Definitions
1. Of a plant: to wither, wilt, decay.
2. To diminish; to lose brightness, to wane.
3. to soak, steep.
4. to thrash, beat severely.
5. To contract; to shorten.
6. To form into wrinkles or ridges.

## Etymology
From Middle English welken, probably from a continental Germanic language; compare Middle Dutch welken (Dutch welken) and Middle Low German welken. Cognate with German welken. Ultimately, from Proto-West Germanic *wilkijan (“to become soft”), from Proto-Germanic *welkaz (“soft, withered”), according to Kluge, related to *wulkną (“cloud”).
Compare also Old English wealwian (“to fade, wither”), Old English wlacu (“tepid, lukewarm”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/welk