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envelop

 - 7 dictionary results

en⋅vel⋅op

[v. en-vel-uhp; n. en-vel-uhp, en-vuh-luhp, ahn-] verb, -oped, -op⋅ing. noun
–verb (used with object)
1. to wrap up in or as in a covering: The long cloak she was wearing enveloped her completely.
2. to serve as a wrapping or covering for, as a membrane of an organ or a sheath.
3. to surround entirely.
4. Military. to attack (an enemy's flank).
–noun
5. envelope.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME envolupen < OF envoluper, equiv. to en- en- 1 + voloper to envelop, of obscure orig.; cf. OPr (en)volopar, It inviluppare to envelop, It viluppo tuft, bundle, confusion, referred to ML faluppa chaff, wisp of straw, perh. influenced by the descendants of L volvere to roll


en⋅vel⋅op⋅er, noun


1. enfold, cover, hide, conceal. 3. encompass, enclose.

en⋅ve⋅lope

[en-vuh-lohp, ahn-]
–noun
1. a flat paper container, as for a letter or thin package, usually having a gummed flap or other means of closure.
2. something that envelops; a wrapper, integument, or surrounding cover.
3. Biology. a surrounding or enclosing structure, as a corolla or an outer membrane.
4. Geometry. a curve or surface tangent to each member of a set of curves or surfaces.
5. Radio. (of a modulated carrier wave) a curve connecting the peaks of a graph of the instantaneous value of the electric or magnetic component of the carrier wave as a function of time.
6. the fabric structure enclosing the gasbag of an aerostat.
7. the gasbag itself.
8. Electronics. the airtight glass or metal housing of a vacuum tube.
9. the technical limits within which an aircraft or electronic system may be safely operated.
10. push the envelope, to stretch established limits, as in technological advance or social innovation.
Also, envelop.


Origin:
1700–10; < F enveloppe, deriv. of envelopper to envelop
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To envelop
en·vel·op   (ěn-věl'əp)   
tr.v.   en·vel·oped, en·vel·op·ing, en·vel·ops
  1. To enclose or encase completely with or as if with a covering: "Accompanying the darkness, a stillness envelops the city" (Curtis Wilkie).

  2. To attack (an enemy's flank).


[Middle English envolupen, to be involved in, from Old French envoluper, envoloper : en-, in; see en-1 + voloper, to wrap up.]
en·vel'op·er n., en·vel'op·ment n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

envelop 
1386, "be involved in," from O.Fr. envoluper, from en- "in" + voloper "wrap up," of uncertain origin, perhaps Celtic.

envelope 
1705, from Fr. enveloppe, a back-formation of envelopper "to envelop" (see envelop).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: en·ve·lope
Pronunciation: 'en-v&-"lOp, 'än-
Function: noun
: a natural enclosing covering (as a membrane or integument)
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

envelope en·ve·lope (ěn'və-lōp', ŏn'-)
n.
An enclosing structure or cover, such as a membrane or the outer coat of a virus.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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