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whelm

 - 2 dictionary results

whelm

  [hwelm, welm]
Use whelm in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to submerge; engulf.
2. to overcome utterly; overwhelm: whelmed by misfortune.
–verb (used without object)
3. to roll or surge over something, as in becoming submerged.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME whelme, appar. b. dial. whelve (OE gehwelfan to bend over) and helm 2 (v.) (OE helmian to cover)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To whelm
whelm   (hwělm, wělm)   
tr.v.   whelmed, whelm·ing, whelms

  1. To cover with water; submerge.

  2. To overwhelm.


[Middle English whelmen, to overturn, probably alteration (influenced by helmen, to cover) of whelven, from Old English -hwelfan (as in āhwelfan, to cover over).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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