helmet
/ˈhɛlmɪt/ noun, verb
Forms helmets helmeting helmetting helmeted helmetted helmette
- noun (clothing) A hard, protective head covering, typically part of armour.
- noun The upper part of a chemist's retort.
- noun The hood-shaped upper sepal or petal of some flowers, as of the monkshood or the snapdragon.
- noun A naked shield or protuberance on the top or fore part of the head of a bird.
- noun The glans penis.
- noun (by extension, derogatory) A contemptible or stupid person.
- verb (transitive) To cover with, or as if with, a helmet.
Synonyms
helm brain bucket bell-end cockhead cue ball dickhead dome head knob knobhead little head mushroom tip other head plum purple helmet skull tip warhead
Etymology
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.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A defensive covering for the head. See Casque, Headpiece, Morion, Sallet, and Illust. of Beaver.
- noun The representation of a helmet over shields or coats of arms, denoting gradations of rank by modifications of form.
Etymology [OF. helmet, a dim of helme, F. heaume; of Teutonic origin; cf. G. helm, akin to AS. & OS. helm, D. helm, helmet, Icel. hjalmr, Sw. hjelm, Dan. hielm, Goth. hilms; and prob. from the root of AS. helan to hide, to hele; cf. also Lith. szalmas, Russ. shleme, Skr. çarman protection. sq. root17. Cf. Hele, Hell, Helm a helmet.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “helmet”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details