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envelope

 - 6 dictionary results

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.
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en·ve·lope   (ěn'və-lōp', ŏn'-)   
n.  
  1. A flat paper container, especially for a letter, usually having a gummed flap.

  2. Something that envelops; a wrapping.

  3. Biology An enclosing structure or cover, such as a membrane or the outer coat of a virus.

  4. The bag containing the gas in a balloon or airship.

  5. The set of limitations within which a technological system, especially an aircraft, can perform safely and effectively.

  6. The coma of a comet.

  7. Mathematics A curve or surface that is tangent to every one of a family of curves or surfaces.


[French enveloppe, from envelopper, to envelop, from Old French envoloper; see envelop.]
Usage Note: The word envelope was borrowed into English from French during the early 18th century, and the first syllable acquired the pronunciation (ŏn) as an approximation to the nasalized French pronunciation. Gradually the word has become anglicized further and is now most commonly pronounced (ěn'və-lōp'). The earlier pronunciation is still considered acceptable, however. A recent survey reveals that the (ŏn'-) pronunciation for the word envelope is used by 30 percent of the Usage Panel and is recognized as an acceptable variant by about 20 percent of those Panelists who normally use the (ěn'-) pronunciation. Other similar words borrowed from French in the modern period include envoy (17th century), encore, ennui, ensemble, entree (18th century), entourage, and entrepreneur (19th century). Most retain their pseudo-French pronunciations, with the exception of envoy, which, like envelope, is mainly pronounced with (ěn) now.
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

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

Envelope

A trading band composed of two moving averages, one of which is shifting upwards and the other shifting downwards.

Investopedia Commentary

These trading bands are used by technical analysts to define a stock's upper and lower boundaries. Signals to sell occur when the stock price reaches the upper band, and buy signals are generated when the price reaches the lower band.

The reasoning behind the sell and buy signals is that stock prices tend to bounce off the bands. Even though buyers and sellers will temporarily pressure a stock's price to its extremes, it should re-stabilize to more realistic levels found within the envelope.

See also: Bollinger Bands, Chartist, Consolidation, Gann Angles, Moving Average, Technical Analysis

Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc.
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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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