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whelm

[ welm, hwelm ]
/ wɛlm, ʰwɛlm /
Literary.
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verb (used with object)
to submerge; engulf.
to overcome utterly; overwhelm: whelmed by misfortune.
verb (used without object)
to roll or surge over something so that it becomes submerged.
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Origin of whelm

First recorded in 1250–1300; from Middle English whelme, apparently blend of dialectal whelve, from Old English gehwelfan “to bend over,” and helm2 (verb), from Old English helmian “to cover”
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use whelm in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for whelm

whelm
/ (wɛlm) /

verb (tr) archaic
to engulf entirely with or as if with water
another word for overwhelm

Word Origin for whelm

C13: whelmen to turn over, of uncertain origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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