helm

noun

1. The tiller (or, in a large ship, the wheel) which is used to steer the rudder of a marine vessel; also, the entire steering apparatus of a vessel.

   “Ye this is both helme & stern of al together: & that which they contended right sore to impugn, but loue of the truth, wherwith in this poynte I reckened me wel fēsed, wold not suffer me to apply & yeld to their wil, thinking, quod sanctū erat veritatē preferre amicitiæ, that the truth ought to be preferred before al frendship & amitye, & also, Si dextra manus scandalizet deberet prescidi & abijci.”

   “Nor is this vveather rare about the Æquinoctiall; by Mariners termed the Tornadoes: and tis ſo vncertaine, that novv you ſhall haue a quiet breath and gale, and ſuddenly an vnexpected violent guſt, and ſtorme, ſo fierce, that many times the ſhips vvill feele no helme.”

   “Fair laughs the Morn, and ſoft the Zephyr blovvs, / VVhile proudly riding o'er the azure realm / In gallant trim the gilded Veſſel goes; / Youth on the provv, and Pleaſure at the helm; […]”

2. (broadly)The use of a helm (sense 1); also, the amount of space through which a helm is turned.
3. (broadly)The member of a vessel's crew in charge of steering the vessel; a helmsman or helmswoman.
4. (broadly)Something used to control or steer; also (obsolete), a handle of a tool or weapon; a haft, a helve.

   “A great axe first she gave, that two ways cut, / In which a fair well-polish'd helm was put, / That from an olive bough receiv'd his frame.”

5. (figuratively)A position of control or leadership.

   “the helm of the Commonwealth”

   “Biſhop [William] Laud of London is alſo povverful in his VVay, for he ſits at the Helm of the Church, and doth more than any of the tvvo Archbiſhops, or all the reſt of his tvvo and tvventy Brethren beſides.”

   “[Avram] Grant will be desperate to finish the job of getting West Ham to their first Wembley cup final in 30 years when they meet Birmingham in the second leg at St Andrews on 26 January; though arguably of more pressing concern is whether he will still be at the helm for Saturday's Premier League encounter with Arsenal.”

   “But although Altman is now back at the helm, OpenAI's new board has yet to offer a public explanation of what exactly went wrong, or set out what changes it will make to ensure the company is not derailed from its core mission of making computer intelligence safe for humanity. The world is waiting.”

6. (figuratively)One in the position of controlling or directing; a controller, a director, a guide.

   “[Y]ou ſlander / The Helmes o'th State: vvho care for you like Fathers, / VVhen you curſe them, as Enemies.”

7. (archaic, poetic, transitive)A helmet.

   “Their plumed helmes are wrought with beaten golde, / Their ſwords enameld, and about their neckes / Hangs maſſie chaines of golde downe to the waſte, / In euery part exceding braue and rich.”

   “O're Shields and Helmes, and helmed heads he rode / Of Thrones and mighty Seraphim proſtrate, / That vviſh'd the Mountains novv might be again / Throvvn on them as a ſhelter from his ire.”

   “The maſſy golden Helm ſhe next aſſumes, / That dreadful nods vvith four o'erſhading Plumes; / So vaſt, the broad Circumference contains / A hundred Armies on a hundred Plains.”

   “From 'neath his gilded helm his golden hair / Fell waving down, but hidden were his eyes / By the wide brim: […]”

   “"A fearful apparition," murmured Norman of Torn. "No wonder he keeps his helm closed."”

8. (transitive)Synonym of helmet (“the feature above a shield on a coat of arms”).
9. (Northern-England, broadly, transitive)A shelter for cattle or other farm animals; a hemmel, a shed.
10. (broadly, transitive)A heavy cloud lying on the brow of a mountain, especially one associated with a storm.

    “Then ancient Skiddaw, stern and proud, / In sullen majesty replying, / Thus spake from out of his helm of cloud […]”

11. (broadly, dialectal, obsolete, transitive)The crown or top of something.
12. (broadly, obsolete, transitive)The upper part or cap of an alembic or retort.

    “The Dragons teeth, Mercurie ſublimate, / That keepes the vvhiteneſſe, hardneſſe and the biting; / And they are gather’d, into Iaſon’s helme, / (Th’Alembeke) and then ſovv’d in Mars his field, / And, thence, ſublim’d ſo often, till they are fix’d.”

13. (countable, transitive)A stalk of corn, or (uncountable) stalks of corn collectively (that is, straw), especially when bundled together or laid out straight to be used for thatching roofs.
14. (alt-of, alternative, transitive, uncountable)Alternative form of haulm (“the stems of various cultivated plants, left after harvesting the crop, which are used as animal food or litter, or for thatching”).

    “The sheriff, John Griffith, had prepared green wood to burn him; but one master John Pikes, pitying the man, caused divers to go with him to Ridland, half a mile off, who brought good store of helme-sheaves, which indeed made good dispatch with little pain, in comparison to that he should have suffered with the green wood.”

15. (obsolete, transitive, uncountable)Synonym of bentgrass (“any of numerous reedy grass species of the genus Agrostis”)

    “The Italians, and Spaniards, call it Sparto, and the ſecond ſort Albardi, The Dutch Halm. And vve in Engliſh, Helme, and Matvveede, but the people all along the Coaſts of Norfolke and Suffolke, call it Marram, and may be called Sea Ruſhes as vvell.”

verb

1. (transitive)To control the helm (noun sense 1) of (a marine vessel); to be in charge of steering (a vessel).

   “[A] wild wave in the wild North-sea, / […] overbears the bark, / And him that helms it, […]”

   “For this light he steered, and soon he saw two tall pillars of flame blazing beside each other, with a narrow space of night between them. He helmed the ship towards these, and when he came near them they were like two mighty mountains of wood burning far into heaven, […]”

2. (figuratively, transitive)To direct or lead (a project, etc.); to manage (an organization).

   “Ile ſtriue to be nor great nor ſmale, / To liue nor die, fate helmeth all, / VVhen I can breath no longer, then, / Heauen take all, there put Amen.”

   “The very ſtreame of his life, and the buſineſſe he hath helmed, muſt vppon a vvarranted neede, giue him a better proclamation.”

   “But we hold / Thou art forsworn; and no forsworn Archbishop / Shall helm the Church.”

   “"I wanted to change the world, but I could not even change my underwear," sings John Grant at the piano, in a luxuriant baritone croon as thick and healthy as his beard. It’s hard to reconcile the guy who once struggled to so much as put on clean pants back in the bad old days – well-storied, not least through his own songs – with the one warmly and gracefully helming this complex, prestigious production – the penultimate date on a tour of packed concert halls, backed by an orchestra.”

   “But [Donald] Trump retains his iron grip on the Republican base, with the support of millions of loyal voters and allies still helming the Republican National Committee and many state party organizations.”

3. (archaic, poetic, transitive)To cover (a head) with a helmet; to provide (someone) with a helmet; to helmet.

   “Oh Noble Conon, / You taught my tender Hands the Trade of VVar; / And novv again you Helm your hoary Head, / And under double vveight of Age and Arms, / Aſſert your Countries Freedom, and my Crovvn.”

   “Then from the bank / He sprung, and helm'd his head.”

4. (transitive)To lay out (stalks of corn, or straw) straight to be used for thatching roofs; to yelm.

name

1. The wind that blows westward from the Pennine fells over Cumbria and is often accompanied by a line of clouds on top of the hills called the Helm Bar; it is the only named wind in the British Isles.
2. (countable)A surname.
3. (countable, uncountable)A placename, from the surname:
4. (countable, uncountable)A placename, from the surname:
5. (countable, uncountable)A placename, from the surname: