helm

Definitions

1. 1.(Naut.) The apparatus by which a ship is steered, comprising rudder, tiller, wheel, etc.; -- commonly used of the tiller or wheel alone.
2. 2.The place or office of direction or administration. "The helm of the Commonwealth." Melmoth.
3. 3.One at the place of direction or control; a steersman; hence, a guide; a director. The helms o' the State, who care for you like fathers. Shak.
4. 4.Etym: [Cf. Helve.] A helve. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Helm amidships, when the tiller, rudder, and keel are in the same plane. -- Helm aport, when the tiller is borne over to the port side of the ship. -- Helm astarboard, when the tiller is borne to the starboard side. -- Helm alee, Helm aweather, when the tiller is borne over to the lee or to the weather side. -- Helm hard alee or hard aport, hard astarboard, etc., when the tiller is borne over to the extreme limit. -- Helm port, the round hole in a vessel's counter through which the rudderstock passes. -- Helm down, helm alee. -- Helm up, helm aweather. -- To ease the helm, to let the tiller come more amidships, so as to lessen the strain on the rudder. -- To feel the helm, to obey it. -- To right the helm, to put it amidships. -- To shift the helm, to bear the tiller over to the corresponding position on the opposite side of the vessel. Ham. Nav. Encyc.
5. 5.To steer; to guide; to direct. [R.] The business he hath helmed. Shak. A wild wave . . . overbears the bark, And him that helms it. Tennyson.
6. 6.A helmet. [Poetic]
7. 7.A heavy cloud lying on the brow of a mountain. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
8. 8.To cover or furnish with a helm or helmet. [Perh. used only as a past part. or part. adj.] She that helmed was in starke stours. Chaucer.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Related questions

• What does "helm" mean?
• What is another word for "helm"?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is helm.

• What is the apparatus by which a ship is steered, comprising rudder, tiller, wheel, etc.; -- commonly used of the tiller or wheel alone called?
• What is the place or office of direction or administration. "The helm of the Commonwealth." Melmoth called?
• What is one at the place of direction or control; a steersman; hence, a guide; a director. The helms o' the State, who care for you like fathers. Shak called?
• What is to steer; to guide; to direct. [R.] The business he hath helmed. Shak. A wild wave . . . overbears the bark, And him that helms it. Tennyson called?
• What is a heavy cloud lying on the brow of a mountain. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell called?
• What is to cover or furnish with a helm or helmet. [Perh. used only as a past part. or part. adj.] She that helmed was in starke stours. Chaucer called?