helm

C2 Topic:Maritime & Sailing

US /ˈhɛlm/ UK /hɛlm/ See IPA manual

Freq #12252

Meanings

1

noun
The position of leadership or control of an organization.

Since taking the helm, the new director has transformed the company.
2

noun
The wheel or handle used to steer a ship.

The captain gripped the helm and turned the ship into the wind.
3

verb
To lead or manage a project or organization.

She was chosen to helm the company's expansion into Asia.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · the wheel or handle used to... tiller wheel

3 verb · to lead or manage a project... lead direct manage

Word family

Forms helmedhelminghelms

Derived forms autohelmbehelmbehelmeddishelmhelm-porthelmagehelmedhelmerhelmlesshelmsmanhelmspersonhelmswoman

Etymology

The noun is possibly: * a variant of haulm; or * from its etymon Middle English halm, helm, Early Middle English healm (“straw, stubble; stalk (?); handle of a tool or weapon”) [and other forms], from Old English healm (“stalk of a grass or plant; hay, straw, stubble”) or an unattested variant *helm, from Proto-Germanic *helmaz (see Proto-West Germanic *helm) or *halmaz (“stalk of a grass or plant; hay, straw”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelh₂- (“to prick, stab, stick”). The verb is either derived from the noun, or is possibly a variant of yelm. Cognates Dutch helm (“haulm”); helm,…

*ḱelh₂- Proto-Indo-European halm Middle English healm Old English *helmaz Proto-Germanic *helm Proto-West Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Maritime & Sailing General Vocabulary

External links

# helm

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈhɛlm/
**IPA (UK):** /hɛlm/
**Frequency rank:** 12252

## Meanings
1. The position of leadership or control of an organization.
2. The wheel or handle used to steer a ship.
3. To lead or manage a project or organization.

## Examples
- Since taking the helm, the new director has transformed the company.
- The captain gripped the helm and turned the ship into the wind.
- She was chosen to helm the company's expansion into Asia.

## Derived Forms
- autohelm
- behelm
- behelmed
- dishelm
- helm-port
- helmage
- helmed
- helmer
- helmless
- helmsman
- helmsperson
- helmswoman

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *ḱelh₂-
- Root: halm
- Root: healm
- Root: *helmaz
- Root: *helm

## Etymology
The noun is possibly: * a variant of haulm; or * from its etymon Middle English halm, helm, Early Middle English healm (“straw, stubble; stalk (?); handle of a tool or weapon”) [and other forms], from Old English healm (“stalk of a grass or plant; hay, straw, stubble”) or an unattested variant *helm, from Proto-Germanic *helmaz (see Proto-West Germanic *helm) or *halmaz (“stalk of a grass or plant; hay, straw”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelh₂- (“to prick, stab, stick”). The verb is either derived from the noun, or is possibly a variant of yelm. Cognates Dutch helm (“haulm”); helm,…

## AI Etymology
Helm: the noun is possibly: * a variant of haulm; or * from its etymon Middle English halm, helm, Early Middle English healm (“straw, stubble; stalk (?); handle of a tool or weapon”) [and other forms], from Old English healm (“stalk of a grass or plant; hay, straw, stubble”) or an unattested variant *helm, from Proto-Germanic *helmaz (see Proto-West Germanic *helm) or *halmaz (“stalk of a grass or plant; hay, straw”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelh₂- (“to prick, stab, stick”). The verb is either derived from the noun, or is possibly a variant of yelm. Cognates Dutch helm (“haulm”); helm,… Important recorded forms include *ḱelh₂- (Proto-Indo-European), halm (Middle English), healm (Middle English), healm (Old English), *helmaz (Proto-Germanic), and *helm (Proto-West Germanic). Current senses include the position of leadership or control of an organization and the wheel or handle used to steer a ship.

## Topics
- Maritime & Sailing
- General Vocabulary

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