helm
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: nautical
transport
Etymology: The noun is derived from Middle English helm, helme (“tiller of a ship”), from Old English helma (“helm, tiller”), from Proto-Germanic *helmô (“handle; helm, tiller”), either from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to cover”) or from the same source as haulm and helm (“bentgrass, straw”) (see below), Proto-Indo-European *ḱélh₂-m(on)- (“reed, hollow stalk”), one form of which then developed a specialized meaning “handle” in Germanic.
The verb is derived from the noun.
Cognates
* German Holm (“beam”)
* Old Norse hjálm
Inflected forms:
form: helms
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: helms
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: helming
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: helmed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: helmed
pos: verb
tags: past
form: no-table-tags
pos: verb
tags: table-tags
form: glossary
pos: verb
tags: inflection-template
form: helm
pos: verb
tags: infinitive
form: helm
pos: verb
tags: first-person
present
singular
form: helmed
pos: verb
tags: first-person
past
singular
form: helm
pos: verb
tags: present
second-person
singular
form: helmest
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
second-person
singular
form: helmed
pos: verb
tags: past
second-person
singular
form: helmedst
pos: verb
tags: archaic
past
second-person
singular
form: helms
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: helmeth
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
singular
third-person
form: helmed
pos: verb
tags: past
singular
third-person
form: helm
pos: verb
tags: plural
present
form: helmed
pos: verb
tags: past
plural
form: helm
pos: verb
tags: present
subjunctive
form: helmed
pos: verb
tags: past
subjunctive
form: helm
pos: verb
tags: imperative
present
form: -
pos: verb
tags: imperative
past
form: helming
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: helmed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
Senses:
gloss: The tiller (or, in a large ship, the wheel) which is used to steer the rudder of a marine vessel; also, the entire steering apparatus of a vessel.
pos: noun
examples: Ye this is both helme & stern of al together: & that which they contended right sore to impugn, but loue of the truth, wherwith in this poynte I reckened me wel fēsed, wold not suffer me to apply & yeld to their wil, thinking, quod sanctū erat veritatē preferre amicitiæ, that the truth ought to be preferred before al frendship & amitye, & also, Si dextra manus scandalizet deberet prescidi & abijci.
Nor is this vveather rare about the Æquinoctiall; by Mariners termed the Tornadoes: and tis ſo vncertaine, that novv you ſhall haue a quiet breath and gale, and ſuddenly an vnexpected violent guſt, and ſtorme, ſo fierce, that many times the ſhips vvill feele no helme.
Fair laughs the Morn, and ſoft the Zephyr blovvs, / VVhile proudly riding o'er the azure realm / In gallant trim the gilded Veſſel goes; / Youth on the provv, and Pleaſure at the helm; […]
gloss: The use of a helm (sense 1); also, the amount of space through which a helm is turned.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
gloss: The member of a vessel's crew in charge of steering the vessel; a helmsman or helmswoman.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
gloss: Something used to control or steer; also (obsolete), a handle of a tool or weapon; a haft, a helve.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
examples: A great axe first she gave, that two ways cut, / In which a fair well-polish'd helm was put, / That from an olive bough receiv'd his frame.
gloss: A position of control or leadership.
pos: noun
tags: figuratively
examples: the helm of the Commonwealth
Biſhop [William] Laud of London is alſo povverful in his VVay, for he ſits at the Helm of the Church, and doth more than any of the tvvo Archbiſhops, or all the reſt of his tvvo and tvventy Brethren beſides.
[Avram] Grant will be desperate to finish the job of getting West Ham to their first Wembley cup final in 30 years when they meet Birmingham in the second leg at St Andrews on 26 January; though arguably of more pressing concern is whether he will still be at the helm for Saturday's Premier League encounter with Arsenal.
But although Altman is now back at the helm, OpenAI's new board has yet to offer a public explanation of what exactly went wrong, or set out what changes it will make to ensure the company is not derailed from its core mission of making computer intelligence safe for humanity. The world is waiting.
gloss: One in the position of controlling or directing; a controller, a director, a guide.
pos: noun
tags: figuratively
examples: [Y]ou ſlander / The Helmes o'th State: vvho care for you like Fathers, / VVhen you curſe them, as Enemies.
gloss: To control the helm (noun sense 1) of (a marine vessel); to be in charge of steering (a vessel).
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: [A] wild wave in the wild North-sea, / […] overbears the bark, / And him that helms it, […]
For this light he steered, and soon he saw two tall pillars of flame blazing beside each other, with a narrow space of night between them. He helmed the ship towards these, and when he came near them they were like two mighty mountains of wood burning far into heaven, […]
gloss: To direct or lead (a project, etc.); to manage (an organization).
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
transitive
examples: Ile ſtriue to be nor great nor ſmale, / To liue nor die, fate helmeth all, / VVhen I can breath no longer, then, / Heauen take all, there put Amen.
The very ſtreame of his life, and the buſineſſe he hath helmed, muſt vppon a vvarranted neede, giue him a better proclamation.
But we hold / Thou art forsworn; and no forsworn Archbishop / Shall helm the Church.
"I wanted to change the world, but I could not even change my underwear," sings John Grant at the piano, in a luxuriant baritone croon as thick and healthy as his beard. It’s hard to reconcile the guy who once struggled to so much as put on clean pants back in the bad old days – well-storied, not least through his own songs – with the one warmly and gracefully helming this complex, prestigious production – the penultimate date on a tour of packed concert halls, backed by an orchestra.
But [Donald] Trump retains his iron grip on the Republican base, with the support of millions of loyal voters and allies still helming the Republican National Committee and many state party organizations.
When Mattel initially approached Smith about helming this show, he was surprised.
Helmed by chef Anton Mosimann, this is one of the most prestigious dining clubs in the world.
Derived words: answer the helm
at the helm
autohelm
barrel helm
behelmed
close helm
dishelm
great helm
helmage
helmless
helm port
helm-port
helmsman
helmsperson
helmswoman
take the helm
unhelm
uphelm
weather helm
helmer
Translations: