helm

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

English

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

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

Noun

helm (plural helms)

  1. (nautical) The steering apparatus of a ship, especially the tiller or wheel.
  2. (maritime) The member of the crew in charge of steering the boat.
  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:
      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.
    • Shakespeare
      the helms o' the State, who care for you like fathers
  5. (obsolete, Britain, dialect) A helve.
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

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.
    • Tennyson
      A wild wave […] overbears the bark, / And him that helms it.
  2. (by extension) To lead (a project, etc.).
    • 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.
    • Shakespeare
      the business he hath helmed

Etymology 2

From Middle English helm, from Old English helm (“helmet”), 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

helm (plural helms or helmen)

  1. (rare, poetic) A helmet.
    • 1275, Layamon's Brut
      Luken sweord longe, leiden o þe helmen.
      (They drew their swords and put on their helmen.)
    • 1475, An Apology for Lollard Doctrines, Attributed to Wycliffe
      Þe helm of hel and þe swerd of þe Spirit.
    • 1500, Merlin
      The kynge Ban be-gan to laugh vndir his helme.
    • 1927, Edgar Rice Burrows, The Outlaw of Torn‎, HTML edition, The Gutenberg Project, published 2008:
      "A fearful apparition," murmured Norman of Torn. "No wonder he keeps his helm closed."
  2. (heraldry) A helmet.
  3. A heavy cloud lying on the brow of a mountain.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Halliwell to this entry?)
Derived terms

Etymology 3

Noun

helm (plural helms)

  1. Alternative form of haulm (a straw)

Albanian

Etymology

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], Hebrew הֶלֶם‎ (helem, “shock, trauma”).

Noun

helm m

  1. poison

References

  1. ↑ Albanische Etymologien (Untersuchungen zum albanischen Erbwortschatz), Bardhyl Demiraj, Leiden Studies in Indo-European 7; Amsterdam - Atlanta 1997, p.198

Dutch

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ɛlm
  • audio(file)

Noun

helm m (plural helmen, diminutive helmpje n)

  1. helmet
  2. (heraldry) helmet

Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch helm.

Noun

helm

  1. helmet (protective head covering)

Ludian

Etymology

Akin to Finnish helma.

Noun

helm

  1. hem

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *helmaz (“protective covering”), 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

  • IPA(key): /helm/

Noun

helm m (nominative plural helmas)

  1. helmet, protection, defense, covering, crown
    • Hyrsta scýne, bord and brád swyrd, brúne helmas — Judith (excellent/beautiful gear, shield and broad sword, brown helmen)
  2. summit, top (of trees)
  3. protector, lord

Declension

Derived terms

  • bānhelm m. — helmet, shield
  • bārhelm m. — helmet with the image of a boar
  • behelmian — to cover over
  • cynehelm, cynehealm m. — diadem, royal crown; royal power.
  • cynehelmian — to crown
  • grīmhelm m. — helmet (with visor)
  • gūþhelm m. — helmet
  • hæleþhelm, heoloþhelm — helmet which makes the wearer invisible
  • hēahhelm — loftily crested
  • helmberend m. — helmeted warrior
  • helmian, hilman, hylman — to cover, crown; provide with a helmet
  • hilman m. — helmet, cover
  • irsenhelm, īsenhelm m. — iron helmet
  • lēafhelmig — leafy at the top
  • leþerhelm m. — leathern helmet
  • lyfthelm m. — air, mist, cloud.
  • misthelm m. — covering of mist
  • nihthelm m. — shades of night.
  • oferhelmian — to overshadow
  • sceaduhelm m. — darkness
  • sundhelm m. — covering of water, sea
  • wæterhelm m. — covering of ice
  • wuldorhelm m. — crown of glory

Descendants

Old High German

Etymology

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

Noun

helm m

  1. helmet

Descendants

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