v.
Pronunciation: ' hwelm, ' welm
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1 : to turn (as a dish or vessel) upside down usually to cover something : cover or engulf completely with usually disastrous effect
2 : to overcome in thought or feeling : OVERWHELM < whelm ed with a rush of joy ― G. A. Wagner>
intransitive verb : to pass or go over something so as to bury or submerge it