This word is a fitting choice for reasons that largely speak for themselves. Today has been a particularly choice day. And it's not even close to over. Miles to go before I sleep. Miles to go before I sleep.
Overwhelm
The word "overwhelm" is formed from over- and -whelm. I've always wondered if the "over" part isn't a tad bit of overkill, because "whelm" on its own means "to submerge; engulf; to overcome utterly; to roll or surge over something." Why is the OVER even necessary? How can you be more engulfed than plain old engulfed? Maybe it's a matter of degree. Overwhelmed perhaps suggests a deeper burial and engulfment.
"Overwhelm" is defined to mean "overpower in mind or feeling; to cover or bury beneath a mass of something [my favorite definition]; to burden excessively." Do you have "mass"? I've got mass.
You can be overwhelmed, and -- thanks to the evolution of language -- you can also be underwhelmed. Isn't that a curious word -- underwhelmed? It's of course used to mean "I'm not impressed, not overcome [indeed I'm a bit undercome] by what you just said." Perhaps it suggests "your mass is lacking. You've sprinkled me with matter, but I don't feel at all buried."
Don't you just love words? Oh, I do.
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