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whelm definition

whelm (hwelm, welm)

transitive verb

  1. to submerge, cover, or engulf
  2. to overpower or crush; overwhelm

Etymology: ME welmen, whelmen: ? merging of OE -hwelfan, to overwhelm, with helmian, to cover: see helm

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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