O'erwhelm, 1) to overspread and cover entirely: “foul deeds will rise, though all the earth o. them,” Hml. I, 2, 258. “humming water must o. thy corpse,” Per. III, 1, 64.
2) to hang down upon in a threatening manner: “his louring brows --ing his fair sight,” Ven. 183. “let the brow o. it as fearfully as doth a galled rock o'erhang his base,” H5 III, 1, 11.
3) to bear down, to crush, to overpower entirely: “to plant and o. custom,” Wint. IV, 1, 9. “like a sow that hath --ed all her litter but one,” H4B I, 2, 13 (crushed? or devoured? Q overwhelmed). “wrath --ed my pity,” Cor. I, 9, 86. “despite o. thee,” III, 1, 164. “with the hell-hated lie o. thy heart,” Lr. V, 3, 147. “--ed with your grief,” Oth. IV, 1, 77.
Shakespeare Lexicon. Alexander Schmidt. Berlin. Georg Reimer. 1902.
This text was converted to electronic form by professional data entry and has been proofread to a high level of accuracy.
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