To surround or swallow up completely, like waves engulfing a boat or darkness engulfing a room.
From 'en-' (to put in) + 'gulf' (from Latin 'golfus,' from Greek 'kolpos' meaning bay or gulf). The word emerged in the 17th century to describe being completely surrounded or consumed.
When you engulf something, you're essentially making it into a 'gulf'—the image is of something disappearing into a deep ocean, which is why the word works for everything from fire to emotion.
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