helmet

American  

[hel-mit] / ˈhɛl mɪt /

noun

1. any of various forms of protective head covering worn by soldiers, firefighters, divers, cyclists, etc.

2. medieval armor for the head.

3. (in fencing, singlestick, etc.) a protective device for the head and face consisting of reinforced wire mesh.

4. anything resembling a helmet in form or position.

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helmet British  

/ ˈhɛlmɪt /

noun

1. a piece of protective or defensive armour for the head worn by soldiers, policemen, firemen, divers, etc

2. biology a part or structure resembling a helmet, esp the upper part of the calyx of certain flowers

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Other Word Forms

• helmeted adjective
• helmetlike adjective
• unhelmeted adjective

Etymology

Origin of helmet

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French healmet, helmet, diminutive of helme helm ²

Example Sentences

But the betting here is that a viewer will be preoccupied by thinking about the multitude of head injuries someone like Robby would encounter in the E.R., and why he doesn’t wear a helmet himself.

From The Wall Street Journal

He overcame a strange late sequence in which he kept swapping helmets because of communication problems, looking as irritated as you would expect Rodgers to look after a technological fiasco like that.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We’ve learned how to survive,” Cabello said from a street in Caracas, wearing a bulletproof vest and a helmet while surrounded by armed security forces in black uniforms.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Broncos wore throwback uniforms from 1977 — blue helmets, orange jerseys, white pants — and their defense swarmed like those “Orange Crush” days of yesteryear.

From Los Angeles Times

The second image is a closer-up angle, showing a person wearing a crash helmet and holding a bottle with a lit sparkler, sitting on the shoulders of another person wearing a Guy Fawkes mask.

From BBC

Related Words

• armor
• hard hat
• hat