Hwelfan

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Old English verb meaning to curve into an arch or vault over something ; to turn something upside down or cause it to capsize
2. An Old English verb for forming a curved arch across a space ; for tipping or turning an object so that it lies upside down
3. Used in Old English to describe bending into a vault shape ; and to describe overturning or capsizing something onto its top

Etymology: Old English "hwelfan" meant "to arch over" or "to vault," and it is the ancestor of the modern English verb "whelm." Its surprising afterlife is the phrase "to whelm" in the sense of overturning something, as when a wave turns a boat upside down. That sense came from the idea of covering something completely by arching over it, so a thing overwhelmed was turned over and buried beneath. The verb is related to "hwealf," the Old English noun for a vault or arch, which is also the root of "vault" in its architectural sense. Its Germanic relatives share the same core idea of curving over something, and modern English has mostly let the verb fade, leaving "whelm" to survive chiefly in the form "overwhelm."