As a noun, it means a very large flood or an overwhelming amount of something. As a verb, it means to flood or to overwhelm someone with too much of something at once.
From Old French *deluge*, from Latin *diluvium* meaning 'flood', from *di-* (intensifying prefix) and *luere* ('to wash'). It originally referred to huge, world-covering floods, like those in ancient myths.
Because it was used for legendary world-ending floods, 'deluge' still feels bigger than an ordinary rainstorm. That’s why we say things like 'a deluge of emails'—it suggests you’re drowning in them, not just getting a lot.
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