v. Obs. exc. dial. Forms: 1 hwylfan, 3 hwelfen, 5– whelve, (9 whilve). [Late OE. hwylfan = *hwielfan, Anglian *hwelfan (also in compounds á-, be-, of hwylfan) = OS. bihwelƀian to cover over, (M)Du., (M)LG. welven, OHG., MHG. welben, welwen (G. wölben) to vault, arch, ON. hvelfa to arch, turn upside down:—OTeut. *χwalƀjan, causative vb. f. χwalƀ- (: χwelƀ-, χulƀ-), whence OE. hwealf sb., arch, vault, adj. vaulted, OHG. walbe (MHG. walbe), curved object, gutter-tile, roof-gutter, walbî ‘volubilitas,’ walbên to roll, ON. hvalf vault, concavity, hvalfa, holfa- to capsize (see WHAUVE); further related to Goth. hwilftri coffin, Gr. κόλπος bosom: the radical notion being ‘rounded, arched.’]
1. trans. To turn (a vessel, etc.) upside down so as to cover something; gen. to turn or roll over, overturn; to upheave. To whelve over, to overwhelm: = OVERWHELVE.
c. 1000. in Techmer’s Zeitschr. (1885), II. 125. Ðonne þu hlid habban wylle, þonne hafa þu þine wynstran hand samlocene and eac swa þa swyþran and hwylf hy syþþan ofer þa wynstran eal swylce þu cuppan hlide.
[c. 1000. Regius-Psalter, etc. (Roeder), 276. Cneoris min alæd & ofhwylfed [Vulg. conuoluta] is fram me.]
c. 1275. Passion our Lord, 513, in O. E. Misc., 51. He hwelfde at þare sepulchre-dure enne grete ston.
[c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., II. met. iii. (1868), 39. Þe horrible wynde aquilon moeueþ boylyng tempestes and ouer whelweþ þe see.]
c. 1440. Pallad. on Husb., I. 161. For harm & stryf of that vpon thy selue May rise, yhe & perchaunce ouer thee whelue [v.r. the overwhelve].
1854. Trans. Philol. Soc., 84 (Surrey). I’ll whelve a pot over ’em, to keep off the sun.
1854. N. & Q., 1st Ser. X. 479 (Cornwall). Whelve or Whilve, to turn upside down any hollow vessel.
† 2. To cover over with anything; to hide, bury.
c. 1440. Pallad. on Husb., IV. 393. Ek whelue a seriol therout that haue Grauel vp to the myddes.
1566. W. P., trans. Curio’s Pasquine in Traunce, To Rdr. The candell whelued vnder the Busshell wil burne a hole throughe.
1706. Phillips (ed. Kersey), To Whelm or Whelve, to cover.
