weltern.1
/ˈwɛltə/, U.S. /ˈwɛltər/ 1. A state of confusion, upheaval, or turmoil.Frequently from c1870, often with suggestion of 2 or 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > disorder > confusion or disorder > commotion, disturbance, or disorder > [noun]
winOE
torpelness?c1225
disturbance1297
workc1325
disturblingc1330
farec1330
frapec1330
disturbing1340
troublingc1340
blunderc1375
unresta1382
hurling1387
perturbationc1400
turbationc1400
rumblec1405
roara1413
rumourc1425
sturblance1435
troublec1435
stroublance1439
hurlc1440
hurly-burlyc1440
ruffling1440
stourc1440
rumblingc1450
sturbancec1450
unquietness?c1450
conturbationc1470
ruption1483
stir1487
wanrufe?a1505
rangat?a1513
business1514
turmoil1526
blommera1529
blunderinga1529
disturbation1529
bruyllie1535
garboil1543
bruslery1546
agitation1547
frayment1549
turmoiling1550
whirl1552
confusion1555
troublesomeness1561
rule1567
rummage1575
rabble1579
tumult1580
hurlement1585
rabblement1590
disturb1595
welter1596
coil1599
hurly1600
hurry1600
commotion1616
remotion1622
obturbation1623
stirrance1623
tumultuation1631
commoving1647
roiling1647
spudder1650
suffle1650
dissettlement1654
perturbancy1654
fermentationa1661
dissettledness1664
ferment1672
roil1690
hurry-scurry1753
vortex1761
rumpus1768
widdle1789
gilravagea1796
potheration1797
moil1824
festerment1833
burly1835
fidge1886
static1923
comess1944
frammis1946
bassa-bassa1956
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1895) II. 277 He feiret be that coniunctione suld follow sum Welter in the religioune, casting doune of the Kirkes, Monasteries and siklike.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1895) II. 465 Quhairfra than cam sa foul a welter in the religione, sa haistie and schort a turne of the Nobilitie.
1619 L. Andrewes 96 Serm.: Nativity (1629) xiii. 125 Away with peace, moveatur terra, let all the earth be on a welter.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. vi. ii. 355 [Danton] was heard to ejaculate:..‘I leave the whole business in a frightful welter (gâchis épouvantable): not one of them understands anything of government’.
1864 T. Carlyle Hist. Friedrich II of Prussia IV. xv. v. 81 What a downrush of confusion there ensued... Belleisle himself must have paused uncertain over such a welter.
1888 Sat. Rev. 26 May 621 They are not precisely the strongest party in the present welter of English politics.
2. The rolling, tossing, or tumbling (of the sea or waves).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > wave > movement of waves > [noun] > surging, rolling, or heaving
walteringc1400
washing?1473
rolling1485
walterc1540
surging1585
boil1805
welteringa1807
seethe1816
ride1822
whelm1842
welter1849
washing in1877
wash1883
1849 G. Cupples Green Hand iii, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Aug. 186/1 The long welter of the sea when the ship eased down.
1863 J. G. Whittier Andrew Rykman's Prayer 88 In the welter of this sea Nothing stable is but Thee.
1898 R. Kipling Fleet in Being i. 10 He..went out serenely to take his boat home through the dark and the dismal welter.
3. A surging or confused mass:
a. of material things, persons, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > absence of arrangement > [noun] > a disorderly collection
rabblea1398
hotchpotc1405
hotchpotchc1410
mishmashc1475
gaggle?1478
chaos?1550
humble-jumble1550
huddle1587
wilderness1594
lurry1607
hatterc1626
farragoa1637
bumble1648
higgledy-piggledy1659
jumble1661
clutter1666
hugger-mugger1674
litter1730
imbroglio1753
confusion1791
cludder1801
hurrah's nest1829
hotter1834
welter1857
muddle1863
splatter1895
shamble1926
1857 C. Kingsley Two Years Ago iii A confused welter and quiver of mingled air, and rain, and spray.
1891 Spectator 18 July A ‘World's Fair’ is apt to call up sickening recollections of..a vast welter of ‘miscellaneous exhibits’.
1893 J. H. McCarthy Red Diamonds III. 235 Covered with the wreck and welter of the ruined building.
b. of immaterial things.
ΚΠ
1851 T. Carlyle Life J. Sterling ii. xii. 302 His talk..went tumbling as if in mere welters of explosive unreason.
1864 D. G. Mitchell Wet Days at Edgewood 306 Losing point and force and efficiency in a welter of words.
1880 J. McCarthy Hist. our Own Times IV. lxvii. 533 The historian is constantly involving himself in a welter of inconsistencies and errors.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
weltern.2
/ˈwɛltə/, U.S. /ˈwɛltər/ A worker who makes or inserts the welt (in a manufactured article).
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > sewing or ornamenting textile fabric > [noun] > trimming > inserting > one who
welter1862
1862 Mrs. H. Wood Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles i. xviii Some welted, or hemmed the gloves round at the edge of the wrist; these were called ‘welters’.
1866 London Rev. 27 Oct. 459/2 There are various epithets for shoemakers;..there are welters..clickers, blockers..closers.
?1881 Census Eng. & Wales: Instr. Clerks classifying Occupations & Ages (?1885) 76 Glover, glove maker... Welter.
?1881 Census Eng. & Wales: Instr. Clerks classifying Occupations & Ages (?1885) 75 Hosiery manufacture... Welter.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
weltern.3
/ˈwɛltə/, U.S. /ˈwɛltər/ 1.
a. A heavyweight horseman or pugilist. Cf. welter weight n.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > rider > [noun] > stout or heavyweight
wight-rider1569
welter1804
welter weight1832
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > boxing > [noun] > boxer > of specific weight
welter1804
lightweight1817
middleweight1847
heavyweight1857
light middleweight1885
light-heavyweight1887
featherweight1889
light-heavy1892
light welterweight1892
welter weight1896
light welter1904
super heavyweight1907
middle1908
fly-weight1911
heavy1913
superheavy1917
cruiser-weight1920
light flyweight1922
cruiser1928
mini-flyweight1971
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > people involved in horse racing > [noun] > rider > types of
feather1760
lightweight1773
welter1804
steeple hunter1830
a bad waster1833
steeplechaser1837
heavyweight1857
stoner1862
roper1870
point-to-pointer1929
jumping jockey1947
jump jockey1970
1804 Sporting Mag. 23 293 The high weights, among the Subscribers called the Welters.
1863 E. Farmer Scrap Bk. (ed. 3) 61 Leaving ‘Welters’ and ‘Craners’ and ‘slow-uns’ behind.
1869 Contemp. Rev. 11 365 There is a pleasing representation of the Tedsworth Hunt, who seem from it to be an awful lot of welters.
b. Horse Racing. Used attributively with the meaning ‘for heavyweight riders’, as Welter Cup, Welter Stakes; welter handicap, welter race. Also elliptical (= welter race, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > [adjective] > types of race
fast-run1820
welter1820
all-aged1838
flat-racing1886
illegitimate1888
novice1962
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > [noun] > types of racing > types of race
wild-goose race1594
wild goose chase1597
bell-course1607
Palio1673
stake1696
paddock course1705
handicap1751
by-match1759
pony race1765
give and take plate1769
sweepstake1773
steeplechase1793
mile-heat1802
steeple race1809
welter1820
trotting-race1822
scurry1824
walkover1829
steeple hunt1831
set-to1840
sky race1840
flat race1848
trot1856
grind1857
feeler1858
nursery1860
waiting race1868
horse-trot1882
selling plate1888
flying milea1893
chase1894
flying handicap1894
prep1894
selling race1898
point-to-point1902
seller1922
shoo-in1928
daily double1930
bumper1946
selling chase1965
tiercé1981
1820 Sporting Mag. 6 2/1 A capital gentleman jockey for a Welter stake.
1843 W. Ruff Guide to Turf 36 The Welter Stakes of 20 sov. each.
1850 W. Ruff Guide to Turf 64 The Cheshire Welter Cup.
1880 W. Day Racehorse in Training 198 The runners in the welter races have surpassed those in the light-weight handicaps by two.
1897 N. Gould Seeing him Through xxv The welter-handicap for amateur riders.
1897 N. Gould Seeing him Through xxv There were ten starters for the amateur welter.
2. Something exceptionally big or heavy of its kind. colloquial and dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > weight or relative heaviness > [noun] > ponderable matter > something unusually heavy of its kind
welter1865
1865 J. Sleigh Attempt at Derbyshire Gloss. in Reliquary (Jan. 1866) 171 Welter, a large person.
1888 S. O. Addy Gloss. Words Sheffield Welter, anything large, as a large stone.
1899 R. Kipling Stalky & Co. ii. 49 Then he gave us eight cuts apiece—welters.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
welterv.1
/ˈwɛltə/, U.S. /ˈwɛltər/ I. intransitive.
1.
a. To roll or twist the body; to turn or tumble about; to lie and roll about; to writhe, to wriggle. Also with about. Now rare or Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > move irregularly or be agitated [verb (intransitive)] > roll or tumble about > of persons or animals
wallowc900
welter?a1400
rollc1405
wamblec1420
rumble?1516
tolter1529
shake1538
worblea1599
flounder1735
tousle1852
a1400 [see sense 2a].
?a1400 Morte Arth. 890 He welterys, he wristeles, he wrynges hys handes!
?a1400 Morte Arth. 1142.
c1440 Alphabet of Tales 411 Sho was gretelye turment, to so muche at sho wold som tyme weltyr in þe fyre.
c1440 Alphabet of Tales 488 He feld a blak myrk thyng welter betwix hym & his wyfe.
1470–85 T. Malory Morte d'Arthur v. v. 168 And thenne Arthur weltred and wrong, that he was other whyle vnder and another tyme aboue.
1470–85 T. Malory Morte d'Arthur xi. viii. 582 She wrythed and weltred as a mad woman.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 78 There [i.e. in Hell] the companions of his fall..He soon discerns, and weltring by his side One..nam'd Bëëlzebub. View more context for this quotation
1727 J. Thomson Summer 26 They..weltering in the Bowl, With powerless Wings around them wrapt, expire.
1751 Ld. Chesterfield Let. 13 June (1932) (modernized text) IV. 1752 In mixed companies with your equals..you may..sit, stand, or occasionally walk, as you like; but I believe you would not think it very bienséant to..welter in an easy chair.
1815 W. Scott Lord of Isles iv. x. 141 And the shy seal had quiet home, And welter'd in that wondrous dome.
b. To roll about (in the mire, etc.). Chiefly figurative. Now rare or Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > move irregularly or be agitated [verb (intransitive)] > roll or tumble about > of persons or animals > wallow
wallowc900
swolderc1200
slabc1315
rolla1398
muddlea1450
welter1530
swetter1536
topple1542
swelt1575
swelter1595
sludder1874
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 779/2 Thou welterest in the myer, as thou were a sowe.
1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie xxi. 122 Verie fewe of them vouchsafed to consider that: for all of them lay weltring stil in their owne dung.
1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 264 Oftentimes he will welter and wallow in the mire, confessing..what sinnes..he hath committed.
1641 J. Milton Reason Church-govt. Concl. 63 Such principles of earth as these wherein she [sc. Prelaty, bred up in slime and mud] welters from a yong one.
1706 tr. L. Liger Compl. Florist in tr. F. Gentil Le Jardinier Solitaire 167 Fowls are apt, after a great Drought, to welter in the Ground, or Dust, to cleanse their Feathers.
a1732 T. Boston Crook in Lot (1805) 110 Man threw himself into the mire at first, and now he is justly left weltering in it.
c. To roll or lie prostrate (in one's blood); hence (hyperbolically) to be soaked with blood or gore; also figurative of a nation, etc. Now only poetic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > discharge or flux > discharge [verb (intransitive)] > bleed > roll in blood
weltera1592
a1592 R. Greene Hist. Orlando Furioso (1594) sig. Biiiv Till all these Princes weltring in their blouds, The Crowne doo fall to Countie Sacrepant.
a1593 C. Marlowe Edward II (1594) sig. F Vpon my weapons point here shouldst thou fall, And welter in thy goare.
1642 in Declar. conc. Rebell. Ireland (1643) 26 Two Protestant Nations [were] ready to welter in each others blood.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis xi, in tr. Virgil Wks. 574 Prostrate on the Plain, Welt'ring in Blood, she sees Camilla slain.
1744 P. Whitehead Gymnasiad iii. 32 Down dropt the Hero, welt'ring in his Gore.
1783 J. O. Justamond tr. G. T. F. Raynal Philos. Hist. Europeans in Indies (new ed.) I. 252 Three successive generations were doomed to welter in their own blood.
1803 Ann. Reg., Chron. 4/2 The deceased..was weltering in his blood, and bore every indication of having been robbed as well as murdered.
1849 D. G. Mitchell Battle Summer (1852) 35 They lie—the fifty corpses—weltering in their blood.
1887 C. Bowen tr. Virgil Æneid ii, in tr. Virgil in Eng. Verse 140 Slaughtered, and weltering each in the blood from the others that flows.
2. figurative.† a. To revel, live at ease. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > sensuous pleasure > luxury or luxurious living > luxuriate [verb (intransitive)]
waltera1400
weltera1400
luxuriate1621
voluptuize1831
voluptuate1836
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4503 Man þat weltres in his welis And, thoru his welth, na fautes felis.
1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xxxvi. 140 The midle sorte of parentes which neither welter in to much wealth, nor wrastle with to much want.
b. = wallow v.1 6. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > sensuous pleasure > sensuality > live sensually [verb (intransitive)] > remain plunged in sensuality
wallowc1230
welter1535
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Eccl. xxiii. 12 But they yt feare God, eschue all soch and lye not weltringe in synne.
1573 J. Daus tr. H. Bullinger Hundred Serm. vpon Apocalipse (rev. ed.) iii. f. 13v Who in the meane tyme swell with pride, and welter away in filthy pleasures.
1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Eng. 18/2 in Chron. I He suffered his own body to welter in all vice and voluptuousnesse.
1611 J. Speed Hist. Great Brit. vii. i. 282/2 Numbers of them lay senslesse and weltring in wine.
1646 H. Peake Medit. upon Seige 7 Luxury..in which thou hast weltred with securitie.
1867 Ld. Tennyson Holy Grail 767 Happier are those that welter in their sin.
c. To be sunk or deeply involved in.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > [verb (intransitive)] > be sunk in emotion
swimc1412
welter1629
1629 J. Cole Of Death 192 Let us then no longer lye weltring in sorrow, lest by overlong lamenting wee encrease Gods wrath.
1642 W. Prynne Soveraigne Antidote Civill Wars Pref. To make England in the selfesame desperate deplorable condition, as Ireland now lies weltring in.
1642 D. Rogers Naaman 16 Suffers them to welter in their fears, doubts and complaints.
1856 C. Merivale Hist. Romans under Empire V. l. 537 We seem, indeed, in perusing the narrative before us, to be weltering in a dream of horrors.
a1871 R. Chambers in C. Gibbon Casquet of Lit. (1874) 2nd Ser. I. 264 They..leave you weltering in astonishment.
d. transferred of inanimate things.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > state or condition > be or remain in specific state or condition [verb (intransitive)]
siteOE
won971
beOE
standOE
liec1374
rest1429
steadc1500
erdec1540
run1635
welter1847
stop1976
1847 C. Kingsley Sappho in Poems 4 Upon the white horizon Atho's peak Weltered in burning haze.
a1849 W. C. Bryant Hymn of Sea 42 The fertile plain Welters in shallows.
3.
a. Of a ship: To roll to and fro (on the waves). Also figurative. Cf. walter v.1 1b.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > action or motion of vessel > [verb (intransitive)] > roll
wallowc1300
rolla1325
welter1423
rocka1522
keel1867
1423 Kingis Quair xxiv We pullit vp saile, and furth oure wayis went. Vpon the wawis weltering to and fro.
?1609 J. Healey tr. Bp. J. Hall Discouery New World i. ii. vii. 92 But our boat..did so welter from side to side.
1856 T. De Quincey Confessions Eng. Opium-eater (rev. ed.) in Select. Grave & Gay V. 266 My mind tossed, as it seemed, upon the billowy ocean, and weltered upon the weltering waves.
1876 J. Saunders Lion in Path ix The soldier's barque was weltering aimlessly, helplessly, hopelessly upon the waves.
1876 W. Morris Story of Sigurd iv. 350 The keels roll down the sea-dale, and welter up the steep.
b. Of a dead body: To be tossed or tumbled about (on the waves); to roll or tumble about (in water). Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > move irregularly or be agitated [verb (intransitive)] > be tossed about
waive1338
welter1593
1593 T. Nashe Christs Teares 14 All the sinnes of the first World now welter, souse, & beate vnquietly in the Sea.
1638 J. Milton Lycidas in Obsequies 20 in Justa Edouardo King He must not flote upon his watry biere Unwept, and welter to the parching wind.
1725 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey III. xiv. 155 But he whose name you crave Moulders in earth, or welters on the wave.
1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Odyssey in Iliad & Odyssey II. iii. 115 Whether he on the continent hath fall'n By hostile hands, or by the waves o'erwhelm'd Of Amphitrite, welters in the Deep.
1807 W. Scott Palmer in Coll. Scottish Airs II. 41 A corpse amid the alders rank, The Palmer welter'd there.
1823 S. Rogers Campagna of Florence in Italy 149 Arno,..where, exulting, he had felt A swimmer's transport, there, alas, to float And welter.
4. † b. To flutter (down). rare.
a. To roll down in a stream; to flow.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > liquid flow > action or process of flowing > flow [verb (intransitive)] > copiously > in (a) stream(s)
yetOE
strikea1225
streama1250
lavec1425
welterc1480
souse1591
spew1670
c1480 (a1400) St. Agatha 306 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 367 A gret hyl..brak owt in fyre & brynt don, weltrand, as [it] a borne had bene.
?1507 W. Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen (Rouen) in Poems (1998) I. 52 With that watteris myn ene and welteris doune teris.
1835 E. Bulwer-Lytton Rienzi I. i. xiii. 171 From the left arm..the blood weltered slowly.
1846 J. Keble Lyra Innocentium 33 And Nile, soft weltering nigh, Sings him to sleep.
1846 J. Keble Lyra Innocentium 182 Around the rushy point comes weltering slow The brimming stream.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > moving with current of air or water > motion in the air > move in the air [verb (intransitive)] > flutter > down
welter1508
1508 Golagros & Gawane (Chepman & Myllar) sig. avi Yit sall be licht as leif of the lynd lest That welteris doun with the wynd sa wauerand it is.
5.
a. Of waves, the water, sea: To roll; to toss and tumble; to surge. Also figurative. Now only poetic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > wave > movement of waves > move restlessly about [verb (intransitive)] > run high, surge, or heave
flash1387
lifta1400
walterc1400
waverc1425
welter1489
jaw1513
roll?1532
surge1566
billow1596
to run high1598
estuate1658
to run steep1894
roil1913
1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) iii. 700 The stremys sa sturdy was, That wawys wyd wycht brekand war Weltryt as hillys her and thar.
a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Paddock & Mouse l. 2955 in Poems (1981) 109 The watter is the warld, ay welterand With mony wall of trubulatioun.
1581 A. Hall tr. Homer 10 Bks. Iliades ii. 23 As oft the seas we see The storme the boistrous surge to raise, weltring now low now hie.
1793 W. Wordsworth Evening Walk 122 There, waves that, hardly weltering, die away, Tip their smooth ridges with a softer ray.
1816 J. Wilson City of Plague ii. i. 203 The sea that welters drearily Around the homeless earth!
1821 W. C. Bryant Ages xviii Till the North broke its flood-gates, and the waves Whelmed the degraded race, and weltered o'er their graves.
1865 A. C. Swinburne In Time of Order in Poems & Ballads 7 It swells and welters and swings, The pulse of the tide of the sea.
b. transferred. Of a mass of persons or things: To be in a state of agitation, turmoil, or confusion.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > disorder > confusion or disorder > commotion, disturbance, or disorder > be in commotion or disorder [verb (intransitive)]
seethe1609
trouble1619
ferment1671
welter1837
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. i. i. 4 When a Nation,..must now seek its wild way through the New, Chaotic,—where Force is not yet distinguished into Bidden and Forbidden, but Crime and Virtue welter unseparated.
1848 C. Kingsley Saint's Trag. ii. v. 89 We sit in a cloud..while right below Welters the black, fermenting heap of life On which our state is built.
1853 C. Kingsley Hypatia II. xiv. 343 The mob had weltered and howled ineffectually around the house for some half-hour.
1889 J. K. Jerome Idle Thoughts 128 Huddled like vermin in sewers, they welter, and sicken, and sleep.
1897 ‘M. Twain’ Man that corrupted Hadleyburg (1900) 317 The whole Left was surging and weltering about the champion, all bent on wringing his hand.
6. † a. Of a vehicle: To sway or rock unsteadily; to overturn. Obsolete. rare.figurative.1837 T. Carlyle New Lett. (1904) I. 70 On the eighth day after this I am to make my appearance as a Lecturer!.. Some way or other we shall ‘welter through it’.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > [verb (intransitive)] > move jerkily or roughly (of a vehicle)
welter1487
bucket1911
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xi. 25 A litill stane oft, as men sayis, May ger weltir ane mekill wane.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Nahum ii. 4 The charettes rolle vpon the stretes, & welter in the hye wayes.
b. To go with a heavy rolling gait; to flounder. Also dialect, to reel, stagger.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > walking > walk, tread, or step [verb (intransitive)] > heavily > and clumsily
wallow?1570
welter1595
galumph1888
the world > movement > progressive motion > walking > walk, tread, or step [verb (intransitive)] > unsteadily
wiggle?c1225
walter1399
falterc1400
stammerc1400
dotterc1475
stavera1500
stumblea1500
reel1529
scamblec1571
halper1596
totter1602
folder1607
wamble1611
to make a Virginia fence1671
wandle1686
fribble1709
rock1718
stoit1719
stoiter1724
swagger1724
doddle1761
stotter1781
toit1786
doiter1793
stot1801
dodder1819
twaddle1823
teeter1844
shoggle1884
welter1884
warple1887
whemmel1895
1595 R. Johnson Seauen Champions ii. (1608) 52 Oh that some ravenous harpey woulde welter from his denne.
1691 J. Ray N. Country Words in Coll. Eng. Words (ed. 2) 80 Welter, to goe aside, or heavily, as Women with Child, or Fat People.
1785 Bran New Wark (E.D.S.) 188 Should a kraken welter up the sands..ye mud weel be astonished.
1821 W. Scott Pirate II. iv. 75 [The whale] was lying perfectly still, in a deep part of the voe into which it had weltered.
1851 M. Reid Scalp Hunters II. xviii. 307 With desperate energy I plunged and sweltered through it [sc. the water].
1884 D. Grant Lays & Legends of North 75 [She] Weltered hame through bogs an' hillocks Aifter mony a weary fa'.
II. transitive.† 7. reflexive.1535 Bible (Coverdale) Prov. xxvi. B Like as the dore turneth aboute vpon the tresholde, euen so doth the slouthfull welter himself in his bedd.1535 Bible (Coverdale) Micah i. 10 Thou at Betaphra, welter thy self in the dust and asshes.† b. In past participle with in. Obsolete. (Cf. 1b, 2b.)† 8. To cause to roll; to toss up and down. Obsolete.† 10. To wear out (one's days) in a state of trouble or disquiet. Obsolete. rare.
a. To move, turn, or force by rolling. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > revolution or rotation > revolve or rotate [verb (transitive)] > turn over and over or roll
trendc1315
trendle1382
welter?a1400
rollc1400
overweltera1450
wamble1561
trindle1595
obvolve1649
pitch-pole1926
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > move irregularly or be agitated [verb (reflexive)] > toss about or wallow
walterc1380
welter1535
tumble1577
swash1583
?a1400 Morte Arth. 1140 Ȝitt es þe warlow so wyghte, he welters hyme vndere.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid vi. ix. 183 For sum weltris a gret stane wp the bra.
c1520 M. Nisbet New Test. in Scots (1901) I. Matt. xxvii. 60 He weltirit a gret staan to the dure of the beriele.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Prov. xxvi. C And he yt weltreth a stone, shal stomble vpon it hymselfe.
ΚΠ
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Judith xiv. 15 Then sawe he the deed body of Holofernes.., weltred in his bloude vpon the earth.
1578 J. Banister Hist. Man viii. f. 109v In whiche absurditie many are weltred.
1632 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Eromena 30 Foure bodies lying weltred in bloud.
1652 Persuasive 26 Princes, who are..weltered in their own blood.
1673 E. Hickeringill Gregory 257 England, as well as other Countries, has been disciplin'd, 'till weltred in blood and ruine.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > agitate [verb (transitive)] > cause to roll or tumble about
walterc1380
overwhelve?c1400
welterc1425
flounder1654
c1425 Macro Plays, Cast. Persev. 2003 Byttyr balys þei [his enemies] brekyn on brode, Mankynde in wo to weltyr & waue.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid iii. iii. 90 The wyndis welteris the see continually.
a1547 Earl of Surrey tr. Virgil Certain Bks. Aenæis (1557) ii. sig. Bivv Fomy Nereus..From bottoms depth doth weltre vp ye seas.
1594 C. Marlowe & T. Nashe Dido i. i. 223 And they so wrackt and weltred by the waues, As euery tide tilts twixt their oken sides.
9. To overthrow, overturn, upset: also with down. Chiefly Scottish.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > cause to come or go down [verb (transitive)] > capsize or upset
overcastc1230
overturnc1300
overthrowc1330
to-turna1382
overwhelm?a1400
tilta1400
tipa1400
welt?a1400
overtiltc1400
tirvec1420
reverse?a1439
devolvec1470
subvert1479
welter?a1505
renverse1521
tumble1534
verse1556
upturn1567
overwhirl1577
rewalt1587
subverse1590
overset1599
overtumble1600
walt1611
to fetch up1615
ramvert1632
treveer1636
transvolve1644
capsize1788
upset1806
keel1828
overwelt1828
pitch-pole1851
purl1856
a1505 R. Henryson Test. Cresseid 436 in Poems (1981) 125 All is decayit, thy weird is welterit so.
1508 Golagros & Gawane (Chepman & Myllar) sig. bii* Wrightis welterand doune treis.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid vii. xi. 51 This cruell dochtyr of the auld Saturn The marbyll hyrst can weltyr and ourturn.
1571 J. Maitland in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xxvii. 71 Bewar! we may be walteritt [v.rr. weltred, wolterit] or we witt, And lykwayis Loss our land and libertie.
1656 R. Sanderson 20 Serm. 340 Were it but an Ox, or an Asse,..that lay weltred in a ditch.
1808 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. (at cited word) To welter a cart, to turn it upside down.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > upset or perturb [verb (transitive)] > spend in disquiet
welter1642
1642 D. Rogers Naaman 138 They returne to their old acquaintance with selfe, and so welter out their daies in utter misery.
Derivatives
ˈweltered adj.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > [adjective]
reigheOE
drofc1000
druvyOE
restlessOE
worya1225
forstraughtc1386
unquertc1390
unsaughtc1390
ill (evil) at easea1400
unrofula1400
unquietc1400
unrestya1413
unquieted?a1425
unrestful?c1425
unpeaceda1475
out of quieta1500
inquiet?1504
uneasya1513
perturbed1538
unquietous?1545
disquieted?1548
astraught1564
astraughted1565
agitate1567
turmoiled1570
disquiet1587
distroubled1590
weltered1590
disturbed1593
twitcheda1594
troublesome1596
stract1598
uncomposed1601
discomposed1603
incomposed1608
uncouth1660
unserene1664
chagrin1665
agitated1684
perturbated1704
disordered1711
perturbate1741
chagrineda1754
nervish1760
uncomfortable1796
funked1831
untranquillized1831
streaked1833
striped1839
discomfortable1844
streaky1848
bothered1851
funked out1859
bebothered1866
disorderly1871
fantod1883
rattled1885
aflap1887
shook1891
dicked-up1967
torqued1967
weirded out1973
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > [adjective] > rolling or tumbling about > wallowing
wallowing?c1225
weltering?1553
weltered1590
1590 T. Watson Meliboeus in Poems (1870) 175 Castor and Pollux,..two welcome messengers, Conuey great comfort to the weltred minde.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
welterv.2
/ˈwɛltə/, U.S. /ˈwɛltər/ Obsolete exc. dialect.
intransitive. To wither.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by poor growth > wither [verb (intransitive)]
falloweOE
welka1300
starvec1400
witherc1400
dote?1440
wizena1450
mortifyc1475
vade1492
shrinkc1572
flitter1577
windle1579
shirpc1639
welter1645
welt1854
sickly1882
the world > matter > condition of matter > bad condition of matter > deteriorate in condition [verb (intransitive)] > lose freshness
wallowc888
falloweOE
fordwinec1000
foryellowc1220
fade13..
windlec1325
wanzec1400
witherc1400
unappair1426
quail?c1430
withera1500
quell1579
tainta1616
daver1621
welter1645
tarnish1678
1645 Bp. J. Hall Remedy Discontentm. v. 24 As for Beauty, what is it, but..a flower, which with one hot Sun gleam weltreth and fals?
1887 W. D. Parish & W. F. Shaw Dict. Kentish Dial. Welter, to wither. ‘The leaves begin to welter.’
Derivatives
ˈweltered adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > condition of matter > bad condition of matter > [adjective] > having lost freshness
fade1303
welkeda1325
walloweda1400
forfaded1413
overworn1565
faded1574
tarnished1716
tired1766
weltered1855
swivelled1898
1855 ‘E. S. Delamer’ Kitchen Garden 62 These vermin prefer weltered and flagging leaves to those that are quite fresh.
1860 I. Taylor Ultimate Civilization i. i. v. 40 The weltered hearts, and blighted memories of those whom we have..gathered from out of the..lost and wretched.
ˈweltering adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > condition of matter > bad condition of matter > [adjective] > having lost freshness > losing freshness
welkinga1400
withering1599
weltering1657
1657 F. Cockin Divine Blossomes 18 Your fading honour I esteem as dung, Earth's weltering glory as the dirt in street.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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