whelm : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: whelm	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for whelm
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
whelm v overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli [syn: overwhelm, overpower, sweep over, whelm, overcome, overtake]
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[94]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. [bd]The whelming weight of crime.[b8] --J. H. Newman. 3. To throw (something) over a thing so as to cover it. [Obs.] --Mortimer.