Etymologically
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helmet

Etymology and origin of the English word helmet

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1450
Borrowed from
Middle French helmet
Ultimate origin
Proto-Germanic (*helmaz)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈhɛlmɪt/, /ˈhɛlmət/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French helmet, a diminutive of helme, helmet,[2][3][4] from Frankish, compare Old High German helm and Gothic 𐌷𐌹𐌻𐌼𐍃 (hilms),[2][5] from Proto-Germanic *helmaz,[2] from Proto-Indo-European *kel-, to hide.[2] Etymonline suggests it may instead be a diminutive of Middle English helm.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A defensive covering for the head, a piece of armour: about 1450 in Barnhart, the mid-15th century in Etymonline, 1470–85 in the OED.[2][3][6]

Semantic evolution

Barnhart notes that Old English helm, a head covering, never became an active word in standard English, and helmet was borrowed in its own right to replace it.[2][3] A helmet in heraldry is from 1610,[6] and the upper part of a retort from 1599.[6] Non-military protective headgear is from 1842,[6] later including the helmets of firefighters, divers, footballers and cyclists.[7] In botany a helmet is the hooded part of certain flowers.[7][8]

Timeline

  • c. 1450 – a helmet.[2]
  • 1599 – part of a retort.[6]
  • 1610 – a heraldic helmet.[6]
  • 1842 – protective headgear.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A hard protective covering for the head, worn by soldiers, firefighters, motorcyclists and others.
  2. (biology) A part shaped like a helmet, as the hooded sepal of some flowers.

Verb

  1. To provide with or put on a helmet.

Word family

  • helmeted
  • helmetlike
  • close helmet
  • crash helmet
  • helmet shell
  • pith helmet

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Helmet.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/helmet. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·