verb

envelop

in-VEL-up/ɪnˈveləp/

To surround or cover completely.

Dense fog envelops the wooded island and veils its treetops.

A dense bank of fog envelops a small wooded island, surrounding it on every side and veiling even the treetops; the entire island remains only faintly visible through the mist.

Etymology

“In” and “wrap up” supply the image of enclosing something within a covering, matching the sense of surrounding it completely. The deeper origin of the wrapping verb is uncertain.

In context

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for that dust, cloud, dust and smoke. To literally make it the five or six blocks up here and begin to envelop us. At which point we started to move out of the way

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More examples

She envelops the baby in a soft blanket.
A sense of calm envelops me as I enter the garden.
Smoke soon enveloped the entire building.

Forms

envelop · envelops · enveloped · enveloping

Similar words

surround: Emphasizes being on all sides, not necessarily covering something.
cover: Can affect only part of a surface, unlike envelop.
wrap: Usually involves placing flexible material closely around something.