Engulf
/ɪnˈɡʌlf/noun
To surround and swallow up completely.
Did you know?Engulf is a late English creation built from the older verb *gulf*—a word for a deep sea abyss—so its power comes from the image of being pulled into a void-like chasm.
Etymological Timeline
Late 16th Century
English
engulf
“to swallow up or submerge completely”
Middle English
English
gulf
“a deep abyss, chasm, or large inlet of the sea”
Late Latin
Latin
colfus
“a whirlpool or gulf (source form often cited in older dictionaries, though details are uncertain)”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kólpos
“a hollow, bay, or bosom”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gel-
“to swallow or devour”