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helm

1
[ helm ]
/ hɛlm /
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See synonyms for: helm / helmed / helming on Thesaurus.com

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

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English helm(e), Old English helma; cognate with Middle High German halme, helm “handle,” Old Norse hjalm “rudder”

OTHER WORDS FROM helm

helmless, adjective

Other definitions for helm (2 of 2)

helm2
[ helm ]
/ hɛlm /

noun
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.
Archaic. a helmet.
verb (used with object)
to furnish or cover with a helmet.

Origin of helm

2
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, German helm; akin to Old English helan “to cover”; see origin at hull1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use helm in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for helm (1 of 2)

helm1
/ (hɛlm) /

noun
nautical
  1. the wheel, tiller, or entire apparatus by which a vessel is steered
  2. the position of the helm: that is, on the side of the keel opposite from that of the rudder
a position of leadership or control (esp in the phrase at the helm)
verb
(tr) to direct or steer

Derived forms of helm

helmless, adjective

Word Origin for helm

Old English helma; related to Old Norse hjalm rudder, Old High German halmo

British Dictionary definitions for helm (2 of 2)

helm2
/ (hɛlm) /

noun
an archaic or poetic word for helmet
verb
(tr) archaic, or poetic to supply with a helmet

Word Origin for helm

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 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with helm

helm

see at the helm.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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