helm

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See also: Helm, hełm, hel'm, and helm'

English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Pronunciation[edit]

  • enPR: hĕlm, IPA(key): /hɛlm/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛlm

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English helm, helme, from Old English helma, from Proto-Germanic *helmô (“handle”). Compare German Holm (“beam”).

Noun[edit]

helm (plural helms)

  1. (nautical) The steering apparatus of a ship, especially the tiller or wheel.
    Synonyms: tiller, wheel
  2. (maritime) The member of the crew in charge of steering the boat.
    Synonym: helmsman
  3. (figuratively) A position of leadership or control.
    the helm of the Commonwealth
    • 2011 January 11, Jonathan Stevenson, “West Ham 2 - 1 Birmingham”, in BBC‎[2]:
      Grant will be desperate to finish the job of getting West Ham to their first Wembley cup final in 30 years when they meet Birmingham in the second leg at St Andrews on 26 January; though arguably of more pressing concern is whether he will still be at the helm for Saturday's Premier League encounter with Arsenal.
  4. One at the place of direction or control; a guide; a director.
  5. (obsolete, UK, dialect) A helve.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

helm (third-person singular simple present helms, present participle helming, simple past and past participle helmed)

  1. To be a helmsman or a member of the helm; to be in charge of steering the boat.
  2. (by extension) To lead (a project, etc.).
    • c. 1603–1604, William Shakespeare, “Measvre for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene ii]:
      the business he hath helmed
    • 2014, Malcolm Jack, John Grant with the Royal Northern Sinfonia review – positively spine-tingling, The Guardian, 1 December 2014:
      I wanted to change the world, but I could not even change my underwear,” sings John Grant at the piano, in a luxuriant baritone croon as thick and healthy as his beard. It’s hard to reconcile the guy who once struggled to so much as put on clean pants back in the bad old days – well-storied, not least through his own songs – with the one warmly and gracefully helming this complex, prestigious production – the penultimate date on a tour of packed concert halls, backed by an orchestra.
    • 2021, Jill Colvin, Trump bids farewell to Washington, hints of comeback, AP News, 20 January 2021
      But Trump retains his iron grip on the Republican base, with the support of millions of loyal voters and allies still helming the Republican National Committee and many state party organizations.
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English helm, from Old English helm (“helmet”), from Proto-West Germanic *helm, from Proto-Germanic *helmaz (“protective covering”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelmos, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to cover; hide; protect”); Compare West Frisian helm, Dutch helm, Low German Helm, German Helm, Danish, Norwegian hjelm.

Noun[edit]

helm (plural helms)

  1. (rare, poetic) A helmet.
  2. (heraldry) A helmet.
  3. A heavy cloud lying on the brow of a mountain.
    • 1801, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “A Stranger Minstrel”, in Poems:
      Ancient Skiddaw […]
      Thus spake from out his helm of cloud.
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

Noun[edit]

helm (plural helms)

  1. Alternative form of haulm (a straw)

Afrikaans[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Dutch helm.

Noun[edit]

helm (plural helms)

  1. helmet

Albanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Albanian *hal(i)m, from Proto-Indo-European *skel- (“to cut (off)”). Cognate to Old High German scalmo (“plague, pestilence”), Welsh claf (“sick”).[1]

Noun[edit]

helm m (indefinite plural helme, definite singular helmi, definite plural helmet)

  1. poison

References[edit]

  1. ^ Demiraj, Bardhyl (1997) Albanische Etymologien: Untersuchungen zum albanischen Erbwortschatz [Albanian Etymologies: Investigations into the Albanian Inherited Lexicon] (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 7)‎[1] (in German), Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi, page 198

Dutch[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ɦɛlm/, [ɦɛɫm], [hɛɫm], [ˈɦɛ.ləm], [ˈhɛ.ləm]
  • audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: helm
  • Rhymes: -ɛlm

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle Dutch helm, from Old Dutch *helm, from Proto-West Germanic *helm, from Proto-Germanic *helmaz. Compare West Frisian helm, Low German Helm, German Helm, Danish hjelm.

Noun[edit]

helm m (plural helmen, diminutive helmpje n)

  1. helmet, protective headwear
  2. (heraldry) helmet above a shield
Derived terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
  • Afrikaans: helm
  • → Papiamentu: hèlmu
  • → Virgin Islands Creole: helum

Etymology 2[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun[edit]

helm f or n (uncountable)

  1. European beachgrass, Ammophila arenaria
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

From Middle Dutch *helm, attested in helmstoc. Akin to English helm.

Noun[edit]

helm m (plural helmen, diminutive helmpje n)

  1. A tiller on a vessel's rudder.
  2. The handle on a pounder to crush fibers in a paper mill.
Derived terms[edit]

Indonesian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Dutch helm.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

helm (first-person possessive helmku, second-person possessive helmmu, third-person possessive helmnya)

  1. helmet (protective head covering)

Ludian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Akin to Finnish helma.

Noun[edit]

helm

  1. hem

Middle English[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old English helm, from Proto-West Germanic *helm, from Proto-Germanic *helmaz.

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

helm (plural helmes or helmen)

  1. A helmet; a piece of armoured headgear.
    • 1275, Layamon's Brut
      Luken sweord longe, leiden o þe helmen.
      (They drew their swords and put on their helms.)
    • 1475, An Apology for Lollard Doctrines, Attributed to Wycliffe
      Þe helm of hel and þe swerd of þe Spirit.
  2. (figuratively) Any kind of protection or safeguarding.
  3. (figuratively, rare) A soldier; a fighting-man.
  4. (rare, biblical) The crown of thorns that Jesus wore.
Related terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
References[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Noun[edit]

helm

  1. Alternative form of helme

Old English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-West Germanic *helm, from Proto-Germanic *helmaz (“helmet”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to cover, to hide”). Compare Old Frisian helm, Old Saxon helm, Old High German helm, Old Norse hjalmr, Gothic 𐌷𐌹𐌻𐌼𐍃 (hilms).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

helm m

  1. helmet
  2. protection, defense
  3. covering, crown
  4. summit, top (of trees)
  5. protector, lord

Declension[edit]

Declension of helm (strong a-stem)
Case Singular Plural
nominative helm helmas
accusative helm helmas
genitive helmes helma
dative helme helmum

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

Old High German[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-West Germanic *helm, from Proto-Germanic *helmaz. Compare Old Saxon helm, Old English helm, Old Norse hjalmr, Gothic 𐌷𐌹𐌻𐌼𐍃 (hilms).

Noun[edit]

helm m

  1. helmet

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

Welsh[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English helm.

Noun[edit]

helm f (plural helmau, not mutable)

  1. helmet
    Synonym: helmed

Further reading[edit]

  • R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “helm”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
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