Hypertext Webster Gateway: "whelm"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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. welben, Icel. hvelfa to overturn; cf. Gr. ?
bosom, a hollow, a gulf.]
1. To cover with water or other fluid; to cover by immersion
in something that envelops on all sides; to overwhelm; to
ingulf.
She is my prize, or ocean whelm them all! --Shak.
The whelming billow and the faithless oar. --Gay.
2. Fig.: To cover completely, as if with water; to immerse;
to overcome; as, to whelm one in sorrows. ``The whelming
weight of crime.'' --J. H. Newman.
3. To throw (something) over a thing so as to cover it.
[Obs.] --Mortimer.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
whelm
v : overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli [syn: {overwhelm},
{overpower}, {sweep over}, {overcome}, {overtake}]
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