overwell

See also: over well

English

Etymology

over- +‎ well

Adverb

overwell (comparative more overwell, superlative most overwell)

1. Overly well.
   • 1899, Samuel Rutherford Crockett ·, The Black Douglas, page 127:

     I remember my father saying that a wise man should always mistrust a girl who kisses overwell.

   • 1911, United States. Congress, Congressional Record, page 418:

     In my own case, as I was saying, I not only pay the fare of my clerk and his family from Colorado, but I have had an assistant with him constantly since I have been here, and a great deal of the time I have had a third assistant, and yet I have not felt myself overwell served, though I have the most efficient clerk in Congress; nor do I believe there is a Member of this House that believes he is overwell served by services he has from one clerk.

   • 1912, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, Meadowsweet, page 304:

     Boadicea seemed to be hesitating for a moment, whilst Sir Baldwin remained coldly neutral, determined not to interfere again in women's affairs; his interference not having succeeded overwell hitherto.

Adjective

overwell (comparative more overwell, superlative most overwell)

1. Overly healthy and robust.
   • 1988, Henry Graham Dakyns, Audrey Tennyson, Lady Audrey Georgina Florence Boyle Tennyson, Letters to a Tutor, page 24:

     I don't think him overwell. He is more worried than I like to see him by his small enemies – the fleas of Farringford- Woodford.

   • 2000, Mahatma Gandhi, The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi - Volume 76, page 35:

     Shankaran is not overwell. Mira seems to have become ill on the high altitude and is due in Birla House tomorrow.

   • 2013, H. Marland, Health and Girlhood in Britain, 1874-1920, page 174:

     The GOP also devoted considerable attention to 'invalid' girls and chronic cases, those who were 'never overwell', tired, subject to low spirits, aches and pains, and who had little inclination for exercise.

Verb

overwell (third-person singular simple present overwells, present participle overwelling, simple past and past participle overwelled)

1. To overflow.
   • 1864, Frederick Goddard Tuckerman, Poems, page 218:

     Then sit in silence down, and brooding dwell, Through the slow years, on all we loved, and tell Each tone, each look of love, each syllable, With lips that work, with eyes that overwell!

   • 1869, R[ichard] D[oddridge] Blackmore, chapter XIX, in Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Sampson Low, Son, & Marston, […], →OCLC:

     Then, after going round a little, with surprise of daylight, the water overwelled the edge, and softly went through lines of light to shadows and an untold bourne.

   • 1932 March 2, The Volcano Letter, page 267:

     Shishaldin on Unimak Island was "flaming high" May 28, 1929, and glowing matter overwelled the edge of the crater and rolled down the slopes;

2. To experience such strong emotion that it cannot be contained.
   • 1906, Private Concerts, page 19:

     How his heart so proudly overwells!

   • 1946, Robert Peter Tristram Coffin, Poems for a Son with Wings, page 86:

     When he himself has stubbed a toe, The other overwells with woe.

   • 1965, Warren Miller, The Siege of Harlem, page 34:

     And there was Miss Brindle, poor girl, sad amidst the general joy. My heart overwelled just to look at her.

   • 2020, Danielle Dulsky, Seasons of Moon and Flame, page 302:

     May we look to those wild places of contradiction where we are at once overwelling with the sweet nectar of hope and cracked by the driest apathy and dusty hopelessness.

   • 2022, Jay Fullum ·, IALFs, Humans, and RAHs, page 295:

     As an artist Norm was overwelled by the colors, Kathy just stood silently taking at all in.

3. To fill with a crescendo of sound.
   • 1898 May, Edwin Ford Piper, “Poem”, in The Kiote, volume 1, number 4, page 85:

     The heavy-throated cannon-song of battle boomed and swelled, Roared louder, lifted mightier, overwelled!

   • 1902, Roden Noel, The Collected Poems of Roden Noel, page 354:

     Thorns sing a carol of Soft May-snows; The young laburnum Overwells, With peals of bloom from Inaudible bells;

   • 2007, Clark Ashton Smith, The Black Abbot of Puthuum:

     The overwelling laughter of the black incubus had ceased, and he turned upon the intruders a face contorted by diabolic lust and fury.

4. To flow over; to overrun.
   • 1991, Ositadinma Adeolu Nnanyelugo Olusanya Ike, Surprise Party: An Anthology of Short Stories, page 60:

     The flames overwelled and he made a dash for the door where this Kodizia was grunting like a pig.

   • 2019, Bryan Furuness, My Name Was Never Frankenstein:

     The crowds on the street that night were overwelling and it was a variable sea of black and everybody was there, Red Rolly, Bertah from Biloxi, Arty Shaw, Wild Bill Latura, Chuck the Knife, Axle Concertina, Styx, Sam, all the women you ever bedded, your cousin Lampedusa, the Greenville Gang, and that Lup Garou from the Clubs, skulking around, and it was quite a site.

   • 2022, C. L. Frazier, Galaxies: Farewell Earth:

     The Reptilian army quickly overwelled the natives and took the small planet as their own.