helm

1
[ helm ]
See synonyms for helm on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Nautical.

    • a wheel or tiller by which a ship is steered.

    • the entire steering apparatus of a ship.

    • 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)
  1. to steer; direct.

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 ]

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)
  1. 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. 2024

How to use helm in a sentence

  • From under their helms each beheld madness in his foeman's eyes, and flashed back equal madness.

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
  • The gear of course was very much stouter and the boats slower on their helms than they are now, or it could not have been done.

  • As we have shown, these great helms were not attached to the body armour and were thus liable to be struck off in battle.

    Armour & Weapons | Charles John Ffoulkes
  • These helms are also made of plates varying in thickness as the part may be more exposed to attack.

    Armour & Weapons | Charles John Ffoulkes
  • The Count of Ferroll and I shall have to contend for many things more precious than golden helms before we die.

    Endymion | Benjamin Disraeli

British Dictionary definitions for helm (1 of 2)

helm1

/ (hɛlm) /


noun
  1. nautical

    • the wheel, tiller, or entire apparatus by which a vessel is steered

    • 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)

verb
  1. (tr) to direct or steer

Origin of helm

1
Old English helma; related to Old Norse hjalm rudder, Old High German halmo

Derived forms of helm

  • helmless, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for helm (2 of 2)

helm2

/ (hɛlm) /


noun
  1. an archaic or poetic word for helmet

verb
  1. (tr) archaic, or poetic to supply with a helmet

Origin of helm

2
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.