Welter (Noun)

Definition 1: (1) A roiling, tumultuous state, a turmoil; (2) a confusion or confused mass.

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Usage 1: Today's word still may be used as a verb, e.g. the boat weltered helplessly in the stormy waters. The verb also meant at one time to beat until welts (areas of the skin swollen and standing up from irritation) rise on the body. It is possible that the boxing class, welter weight, took its name from this verbal use.

Suggested usage: In 1863 John Greenleaf Whittier used the original meaning of today's word in his poem, Andrew Rykman's Prayer, "In the welter of this sea | Nothing stable is but Thee." Today it is used mostly in its figurative sense, "Reingold found himself slowly drowning in a welter of obligations."

Etymology: Today's word came to us from Middle English welteren "to roll, to toss about (as in high seas)" from Middle Low German, or Middle Dutch welteren "to roll." Now it is a noun referring to the results of being tossed about. The Proto-Indo-European ancestor of today's word, *wel-/*wol- "to turn, roll," was highly prolific. The German verb walzen "to roll" is a descendant, as is the English word "waltz" and "wallow." "Whelk," referring to the American conch, and "welt" are also descendants. Old English wealcan "to roll, toss," another relative, reached us as "walk." "Volume" in the literary sense originally referred to a roll of writing. It comes from the Latin variant of this root, seen in volvere "to roll," and found elsewhere in "convolute," "involve," and "revolve." (We are happy to roll out a suggestion of Ann Schroder's as today's Word of the Day.)

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