welter

¹

[ wel-ter ]

verb (used without object)

1. to roll, toss, or heave, as waves or the sea.
2. to roll, writhe, or tumble about; wallow, as animals (often followed by about ):

   pigs weltering about happily in the mud.

3. to lie bathed in or be drenched in something, especially blood.
4. to become deeply or extensively involved, associated, entangled, etc.:

   to welter in setbacks, confusion, and despair.

noun

1. a confused mass; a jumble or muddle:

   a welter of anxious faces.

2. a state of commotion, turmoil, or upheaval:

   the welter that followed the surprise attack.

   Synonyms: tumult, confusion

3. a rolling, tossing, or tumbling about, as or as if by the sea, waves, or wind:

   They found the shore through the mighty welter.

welter

²

[ wel-ter ]

noun

1. Informal. a welterweight boxer or wrestler.

adjective

1. (of a steeplechase or hurdle race) pertaining to, or noting a race in which the horses bear welterweights.

welter

/ ˈwɛltə /

verb

1. to roll about, writhe, or wallow
2. (esp of the sea) to surge, heave, or toss
3. to lie drenched in a liquid, esp blood

noun

1. a rolling motion, as of the sea
2. a confused mass; jumble

Word History and Origins

Origin of welter¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English welteren, welten “tumble, fall over; writhe,” Old English wiltan, weltan “roll”; cognate with Middle Dutch welteren, Low German weltern “to roll”

Origin of welter²

First recorded in 1785–95; of uncertain origin; perhaps from welt in the sense “to beat soundly” + -er ¹, or welter ¹ in the sense “a rolling or tossing about”

Word History and Origins

Origin of welter¹

C13: from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch weltern; related to Old High German walzan, welzen to roll

Example Sentences

There no longer is anywhere to hide from the swelter and welter of the American id.

From The Daily Beast

More to Love is a confounding welter of self-confidence and self-loathing.

From The Daily Beast

Out, he threaded his way recklessly through a welter of vehicles and picked up the tail as his man entered an office building.

From Project Gutenberg

A tiny blot it was, against the golden welter on the eastern horizon; a blot whence rose fine-pricked masts and useless sails.

From Project Gutenberg

There she could welter and rot if she pleased, fulfilling the excellent economy of life provided for us in these islands.

From Project Gutenberg

He was the representative of an old order going down in the unforeseeable welter of twentieth-century politics.

From Project Gutenberg

The swirling water touched the sides of the long-boat and then receded when the stricken schooner struggled up from the welter.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• jumble