Etymology

overwhelming

O1V4E1R1W4H4E1L1M3I1N1G2

Today it means: Overpowering, staggering, or irresistibly strong. Full definition →

English overwhelm ← Middle English overwhelmen ← Old English *hwealmnian?
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*úp
  2. Proto-Indo-European*upér
  3. Proto-Germanic*uber
  4. Old Englishofer-
  5. Middle Englishover-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*kʷelp-
  7. Proto-Germanic*kʷolpós
  8. Proto-Germanic*hwalbazder.?
  9. Proto-Indo-European*kʷelp-
  10. Proto-Germanic*kʷólpo-
  11. Proto-Germanic*hwalbąder.?
  12. Old Englishhwealf
  13. Old English*hwealfnian
  14. Old English*hwealmnian?
  15. Middle Englishwhelmen
  16. Middle Englishoverwhelmen
  17. Englishoverwhelm
  18. English todayoverwhelming

From overwhelm + -ing.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.