helmet English · revision 10499

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1450|origins=frm helmet|origins=gem-pro *helmaz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈhɛlmɪt/, /ˈhɛlmət/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|frm|helmet]], a diminutive of helme, helmet,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998) from Frankish, compare Old High German helm and Gothic hilms,^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) from Proto-Germanic *helmaz,^(Barnhart 1988) from PIE *kel-, to hide.^(Barnhart 1988) Etymonline suggests it may instead be a diminutive of Middle English [[helm]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==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.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==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.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) A helmet in heraldry is from 1610,^(OED 1989) and the upper part of a retort from 1599.^(OED 1989) Non-military protective headgear is from 1842,^(OED 1989) later including the helmets of firefighters, divers, footballers and cyclists.^(AHD) In botany a helmet is the hooded part of certain flowers.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1450 – a helmet.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1599 – part of a retort.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1610 – a heraldic helmet.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1842 – protective headgear.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A hard protective covering for the head, worn by soldiers, firefighters, motorcyclists and others.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(biology)'' A part shaped like a helmet, as the hooded sepal of some flowers.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To provide with or put on a helmet.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[helmeted]]

+ * [[helmetlike]]

+ * [[close helmet]]

+ * [[crash helmet]]

+ * [[helmet shell]]

+ * [[pith helmet]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[helm]]

+ * [[hell]]

+ * [[hull]]

+ * [[conceal]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}