Welters

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. To move in a chaotic, turbulent manner, as if tossed about by waves or physical forces
2. to become or remain in a state of disorder or confusion
3. a term often used to describe an intense, messy struggle or state of disarray in situations

Etymology: "Welters" is the third-person singular present of the verb "welter" as well as the plural of the noun, and both come from a Middle English verb "welteren", which was formed from "welt" with the frequentative suffix "-er", a suffix that marks repeated or continued action. The sense of rolling over and over is the literal starting point: the verb meant to roll or wallow, and "welt" carried the idea of turning or tumbling. Related forms show up across the Germanic languages, including Low German "weltern" ("to wallow; roll"), Old Norse "velta" (the source of Danish "vælte", "to overturn"), and German "wälzen", which still means to roll or churn something heavily. The word's relatives reach even further. The Gothic "waltjan" points to a shared Germanic root, and the Latin "volvō", meaning "I roll" or "I turn", is a distant cousin, which is why the English words "wallow" and "welter" sit so close to the idea of being rolled about. The Middle English form shows the same notion of bodily tumbling that later became a figure for confusion. The shift from physical rolling to mental disorder is where the word becomes most striking. Something that is tossed about without control is in a state of turmoil, so "welter" came to describe a confused, churning mass, and "moves in confusion" is the figurative sense that grew out of that bodily image.