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whelm (HWELM) - v., to submerge, engulf; to overcome utterly.
In that last sense, a close synonym of overwhelm, which is in fact an intensified form of this. There's also an obsolete sense of to turn (something concave, such as a bowl) upside down to cover something, which I find kind of charming. In Middle English, it was whelmen, apparently from Old English hwelfan, to cover over, altered by association with helmian, to cover, which has the root of helmet. Oookay then.
Thanks, WikiMedia!
---L.
In that last sense, a close synonym of overwhelm, which is in fact an intensified form of this. There's also an obsolete sense of to turn (something concave, such as a bowl) upside down to cover something, which I find kind of charming. In Middle English, it was whelmen, apparently from Old English hwelfan, to cover over, altered by association with helmian, to cover, which has the root of helmet. Oookay then.
Thanks, WikiMedia! ---L.
