Nearby Words

helm

[helm] Example Sentences Origin

helm

1[helm]
noun
1.
Nautical.
a.
a wheel or tiller by which a ship is steered.
b.
the entire steering apparatus of a ship.
c.
the angle with the fore-and-aft line made by a rudder when turned: 15-degree helm.
2.
the place or post of control: A stern taskmaster was at the helm of the company.
verb (used with object)
3.
to steer; direct.

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Helm is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
to bark; yelp.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English helme, Old English helma; cognate with Middle High German halme, helm handle, Old Norse hjalm rudder

helm·less, adjective
Example Sentences
  • The company called on its eponymous founder and present chairman to resume the helm.
  • Sit back and relax or ask to take a turn at the helm once you have your sea legs.
  • It will be nice to have an intelligent, soft-spoken realist at the helm of health.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

helm

2[helm]
noun
1.
Also, heaume. Also called great helm. a medieval helmet, typically formed as a single cylindrical piece with a flat or raised top, completely enclosing the head.
2.
Archaic. a helmet.
verb (used with object)
3.
to furnish or cover with a helmet.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, German helm; akin to Old English helan to cover. See hull1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
helm1 (hɛlm)
 
n
1.  nautical
 a.  the wheel, tiller, or entire apparatus by which a vessel is steered
 b.  the position of the helm: that is, on the side of the keel opposite from that of the rudder
2.  a position of leadership or control (esp in the phrase at the helm)
 
vb
3.  (tr) to direct or steer
 
[Old English helma; related to Old Norse hjalm rudder, Old High German halmo]
 
'helmless1
 
adj

helm2 (hɛlm)
 
n
1.  an archaic or poetic word for helmet
 
vb
2.  archaic, poetic or (tr) to supply with a helmet
 
[Old English helm; related to helan to cover, Old Norse hjalmr, Gothic hilms, Old High German helm helmet, Sanskrit śárman protection]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

helm
"tiller," from O.E. helma "position of guidance, control," from P.Gmc. *khelman- (cf. O.N. hjalm, N.H.G. helm "handle").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
HELM
Health and Environment Library Modules
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

helm

see at the helm.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Idioms & Phrases
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