- whelm
- whelm c.1300, probably from a parallel form of O.E. -hwielfan (W.Saxon), -hwelfan (Mercian), in ahwelfan "cover over;" probably altered by association with O.E. helmian "to cover" (see HELMET (Cf. helmet)).
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
whelm
Look at other dictionaries:
Whelm — Whelm, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Whelmed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Whelming}.] [OE. whelmen to turn over, akin to OE. whelven, AS. whelfan, hwylfan, in ?whylfan, ?whelfan, to overwhelm, cover over; akin to OS. bihwelbian, D. welven to arch, G. w[ o]lben, OHG … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
whelm — index overcome (overwhelm) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
whelm — [hwelm, welm] vt. [ME welmen, whelmen: ? merging of OE hwelfan, to overwhelm, with helmian, to cover: see HELM1] 1. to submerge, cover, or engulf 2. to overpower or crush; overwhelm … English World dictionary
whelm — over·whelm; over·whelm·ing·ness; whelm; un·der·whelm; over·whelm·ing·ly; … English syllables
whelm — verb Etymology: Middle English Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to turn (as a dish or vessel) upside down usually to cover something ; cover or engulf completely with usually disastrous effect 2. to overcome in thought or feeling ; overwhelm … New Collegiate Dictionary
whelm — /hwelm, welm/, v.t. 1. to submerge; engulf. 2. to overcome utterly; overwhelm: whelmed by misfortune. v.i. 3. to roll or surge over something, as in becoming submerged. [1250 1300; ME whelme, appar. b. dial. whelve (OE gehwelfan to bend over) and … Universalium
whelm — verb /welm,ʍelm/ a) To cover with water; to submerge b) To overcome with emotion … Wiktionary
whelm — Synonyms and related words: baptize, be prodigal with, blank, bulldoze, bury, cascade, cataract, clobber, cream, defeat utterly, deluge, dip, douse, drown, duck, dunk, engulf, float, flood, flood the market, flow on, immerge, immerse, inundate,… … Moby Thesaurus
whelm — (Roget s Thesaurus II) verb 1. To flow over completely: deluge, drown, engulf, flood, flush, inundate, overflow, overwhelm, submerge. See FULL. 2. To affect as if by an outpouring of water: deluge, flood, inundate, overwhelm, swamp. See FULL … English dictionary for students
whelm — hwelm /w v. flood, cover; deluge; pass over or roll over something so as to submerge it, drown; overwhelm, overcome, overpower … English contemporary dictionary
