whelve

Welcome to another edition of Beautiful Words. Each week, I attempt to expand my vocabulary by highlighting words that are new to me. I hope you find them helpful, too.

As of late, I’ve been drawn to verbs. I’m trying to reduce my use of cluttery, ineffective adverbs. So, finding the right verb can be fortuitous.

Today’s word is whelve. It’s a verb. It means:

to bury something deep; to hide

This is a word I’ll see myself using in fiction writing. A few examples:

• A pirate might whelve a treasure chest beneath a leaning palm tree on a deserted island.
• A moody teenage girl might whelve her feelings for a boy who just transferred into her algebra class.
• A snoring dog might whelve his face into the back of a leather couch while stretched out for a midday nap.

Now, I hope the next time I need to find the perfect verb, I haven’t whelved this word away too deep in my mind.

Are you drawn to beautiful words?