helmet

• helmette (obsolete)

From Middle English helmet, helmett, a borrowing from Old French helmet, heaumet, a diminutive of helme (Modern French heaume), equivalent to helm +‎ -et. The Old French is itself of Germanic origin (whence Old English helm). Used in English since the 15th century, it has largely displaced helm as the general word.

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɛlmɪt/, /ˈhɛlmət/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛlmɪt

helmet (plural helmets)

1. A hard, protective head covering, typically part of armour.

   Synonym: (archaic or poetic) helm

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter II, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, OCLC 483591931:

     Now that she had rested and had fed from the luncheon tray Mrs. Broome had just removed, she had reverted to her normal gaiety.  She looked cool in a grey tailored cotton dress with a terracotta scarf and shoes and her hair a black silk helmet.

2. That which resembles a helmet in form, position, etc.
   1. The upper part of a chemist's retort.

      Synonym: (obsolete) helm

   2. The hood-shaped upper sepal or petal of some flowers, as of the monkshood or the snapdragon.
   3. A naked shield or protuberance on the top or fore part of the head of a bird.
   4. (heraldry) The feature above a shield on a coat of arms.

      Synonym: helm

   5. The glans penis.
      1. (by extension, derogatory) A contemptible or stupid person.
         • 2021 September 3, MJowen174, Twitter‎, archived from the original on 2023-01-14:

           Jarvo’s a stinky old helmet.

• brain bucket, hard hat

• combat helmet
• bicycle helmet
• construction helmet
• crash helmet

• helm

• → Swahili: helmeti

helmet (third-person singular simple present helmets, present participle helmeting, simple past and past participle helmeted)

1. (transitive) To cover with, or as if with, a helmet.

• Lethem

From English helmet, from Middle English helmet, helmett, a borrowing from Old French helmet, heaumet, a diminutive of helme.

• Hyphenation: hel‧met

helmet

1. a helmet; a protective head covering, usually part of armour.

helmet

1. to wear a helmet

For quotations using this term, see Citations:helmet.

helmet

1. nominative plural of helmi
2. necklace made of pearls or beads

• (necklace): helminauha

• helmette, helmett, helmete

From Old French helmet; equivalent to helm +‎ -et.

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɛlmɛt/, /ˈhɛlmit/

helmet

1. A helmet; an armoured piece of headgear.

• English: helmet
• Scots: hoomet

• “helmet, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-18.