# helpen
## Dutch
### Etymology

From Middle Dutch helpen, from Old Dutch helpan, from Proto-West Germanic *helpan, from Proto-Germanic *helpaną.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɦɛl.pə(n)/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: hel‧pen
* Rhymes: -ɛlpən

### Verb

helpen
* (transitive) to help
    Wie mag ik helpen? ― Whom may I help?
* (transitive) to provide, to supply [with aan ‘with’]
    Bedankt dat je mij aan dat truitje hebt geholpen! ― Thanks for getting me that sweater!
* (transitive) to get hooked, to cause (someone) to be very keen (on), addicted or depended [with aan ‘to’]
    Die vriendengroup had haar aan de drank geholpen. ― That circle of friends got her addicted to alcohol.

#### Derived terms

* helper
* aaneenhelpen
* aanhelpen
* achteruithelpen
* afhelpen
* behelpen
* bijhelpen
* doorhelpen
* gehelpen
* inhelpen
* medehelpen
* meehelpen
* omhelpen
* omverhelpen
* onderhelpen
* onthelpen
* ophelpen
* overhelpen
* terechthelpen
* uithelpen
* verhelpen
* voorthelpen
* voortshelpen
* vooruithelpen
* weghelpen

#### Related terms

* hulp

#### Descendants

* Afrikaans: help
* Berbice Creole Dutch: helpu
* Javindo: helpen
* Jersey Dutch: hälpe
* Negerhollands: help
* Skepi Creole Dutch: halp
* → Caribbean Javanese: hèlep, ngèlep

## Low German
### Verb

helpen
* Alternative spelling of hölpen

## Middle Dutch
### Etymology

From Old Dutch helpan, from Proto-West Germanic *helpan, from Proto-Germanic *helpaną.

### Verb

helpen
* to help, to aid, to assist
* to be helpful, to be beneficial

#### Descendants

* Dutch: helpen
** Afrikaans: help
** Berbice Creole Dutch: helpu
** Javindo: helpen
** Jersey Dutch: hälpe
** Negerhollands: help
** Skepi Creole Dutch: halp
** → Caribbean Javanese: hèlep, ngèlep
* Limburgish: hèlpe

### Further reading

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

## Middle English
### Alternative forms

* help, elp, helpi, healpe, heolpe, halpen, hælpan

### Etymology

From Old English helpan, from Proto-West Germanic *helpan, from Proto-Germanic *helpaną.

### Verb

helpen (third-person singular simple present helpeth, present participle helpende, first-/third-person singular past indicative holp, past participle holpen)
* to help
** 14th c. Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales. General Prologue: 15-18.
    And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.And specially from every shire's end Of England to Canterbury they travel, To seek the holy blessed martyr, Who helped them when they were sick.

#### Conjugation

$^1$ Replaced by the indicative in later Middle English. $^2$ Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

#### Derived terms

* unhelpen

#### Descendants

* English: help
* Scots: help
* Yola: help

### References

* “helpen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

## Middle Low German
### Etymology

From Old Saxon helpan (“to help”), from Proto-West Germanic *helpan, from Proto-Germanic *helpaną. Cognate with English helpan, Dutch helpen and German helfen.

### Pronunciation

* (originally) IPA: /hɛlpən/

### Verb

helpen
* to help

#### Descendants

* German Low German: helpen, hölpen

## West Frisian
### Noun

helpen
* plural of help