# helen
## Dutch
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɦeː.lə(n)/
* Hyphenation: he‧len
* Rhymes: -eːlən

### Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch hêlen, from Old Dutch *hēlen, from Proto-West Germanic *hailijan, from Proto-Germanic *hailijaną. Doublet of healen.

#### Verb

helen
* (ergative) to heal
    Synonyms: genezen, healen
** 1805, IJsbrand van Hamelsveld (tr.), Jeremiah 46, 11, De Bijbel, uit het Hebreeuwsch. Het Oude Testament, Johannes Allart (publ.), page 908.
    Ga vrij naa Gileäd! om balzemen te halen, / Egijptisch maagd! Vergeefs bereidt gij artzenij; / Daar 's geen genezen aan, geen helen aan uw wonden!Go off to Gilead to get some balms, / Egyptian virgin! In vain you prepare medicine; / There is no curing, no healing for your wounds!
    De tijd die alle wonden heelt.The time that heals all wounds. (Marco Borsato – Wereld Zonder Jou)

##### Derived terms

* aanhelen
* heelkunde
* heelmeester
* heler
* heling
* verhelen

##### Descendants

* Afrikaans: heel

### Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch hēlen, from Old Dutch *helan, from Proto-West Germanic *helan, from Proto-Germanic *helaną (“hide, conceal”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱéleti. The modern sense is probably a semantic loan from German hehlen.

#### Verb

helen
* (obsolete, transitive) to conceal, hide
* (transitive) to accept (and sell) stolen goods; to fence
    Je hebt die spullen geheeld en dat is strafbaar.You have accepted those stolen things and that is illegal.

##### Derived terms

* heler
* heling
* verhelen

##### Related terms

* hullen

## Middle Dutch
### Etymology 1

From Old Dutch *helan, from Proto-West Germanic *helan, from Proto-Germanic *helaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱéleti.

#### Verb

hēlen
* to hide, to conceal, to keep secret, to keep quiet

##### Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

##### Derived terms

* behēlen

##### Descendants

* Dutch: helen

### Etymology 2

From Old Dutch *hēlen, from Proto-Germanic *hailijaną.

#### Verb

hêlen
* to heal, to make better
* to fix, to mend, to repair
* to make whole

##### Alternative forms

* heilen (Limburgish)

##### Descendants

* Dutch: helen
* Limburgish: heile

### Further reading

* “helen (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
* “helen (III)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
* Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “helen (II)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page II
* Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “heelen”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page heelen

## Middle English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈhɛːlən/

### Etymology 1

From Old English hǣlan, from Proto-West Germanic *hailijan, from Proto-Germanic *hailijaną (“to heal”).

#### Alternative forms

* helien, healen, hælen, hæliȝe, ȝele, heilen, haile

#### Verb

helen (third person singular simple present heleþ, simple past and past participle held)
* (transitive) to cure, heal
* (intransitive) to heal, get better
* to reform

##### Descendants

* English: heal
** → Dutch: healen
* Scots: heal

##### References

* “hēlen, v.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

### Etymology 2

A merger of Old English helan (“to conceal, cover, hide”, strong verb) and helian (“to conceal, cover, hide”, weak verb), from Proto-West Germanic *helan, from Proto-Germanic *helaną (“to conceal, stash, receive stolen goods”) and [Term?] (“to conceal”), both from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to hide”).

#### Alternative forms

* hely, helie, helye, helien, helyen, hel, heyle, hellen, heole, heolen

#### Verb

helen (simple past heled or hal, past participle heled or hole)
* to cover
* to clothe
* to roof (cover with a roof)
* to embrace
* to conceal, hide
* to shelter, protect
* to be silent, keep a secret

##### Descendants

* English: hele, heel
* Middle Scots: heild
* Scots: heil, heal
* Yola: helt, hulth (preterite)

##### References

* “hēlen, v.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

### Etymology 3
#### Noun

helen
* plural of hele (“concealment”)

##### Alternative forms

* helan (Early Middle English)

### Etymology 4
#### Noun

helen
* plural of hele (“heel”)

##### Alternative forms

* helan