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help

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See also: HELP and Help
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English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

    From Middle English help, from Old English help (“help, aid, assistance, relief”), from Proto-Germanic *helpō (“help”), *hilpiz, *hulpiz, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelb-, *ḱelp- (“to help”).

    Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hälpe (“help”), West Frisian help (“help”), Cimbrian hölfe (“help”), Dutch hulp (“help”), German Hilfe (“help, aid, assistance”), Luxembourgish Hëllef (“help”), Mòcheno hilf (“help”), Vilamovian hyłf (“help”), Yiddish הילף (hilf, “help”), Danish hjælp (“help”), Faroese and Icelandic hjálp (“help”), Norwegian Bokmål hjelp (“help”), Norwegian Nynorsk hjelp, hjølp (“help”), Swedish hjälp (“help”).

    Noun

    help (usually uncountable, plural helps)

    1. (uncountable) Action given to provide assistance; aid.
      I need some help with my homework.
    2. Something or someone which provides assistance with a task.
      He was a great help to me when I was moving house.
    3. (computing) Documentation provided with computer software that could be accessed using the computer.
      I can't find anything in the help about rotating an image.
    4. (countable) A study aid.
      I've printed out a list of math helps.
      • c. 2002, “Scripture Study Helps”, in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints‎[1]:
        In 1979 the Church published a Latter-day Saint edition of the King James Version of the Bible in English. Included in this edition were numerous helps to make a study of the scriptures more meaningful and rewarding.
    5. (usually uncountable) One or more people employed to help in the maintenance of a house or the operation of a farm or enterprise.
      The help is coming round this morning to clean.
      Most of the hired help is seasonal, for the harvest.
    6. (uncountable) Correction of deficits, as by psychological counseling or medication or social support or remedial training.
      His suicide attempts were a cry for help.
      He really needs help in handling customer complaints.
      “He’s a real road-rager.” / “Yup, he really needs help, maybe anger management.”
    Usage notes
    • The sense “people employed to help in the maintenance of a house” is usually an uncountable mass noun. A countable form — “a hired help”, “two hired helps” — is attested, but now less common. Helper could be used if no more specific noun is available.
    Quotations

    For quotations using this term, see Citations:help.

    Synonyms
    Derived terms
    Translations
    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    Etymology 2

      From Middle English helpen, from Old English helpan (“to help, aid, assist, benefit, relieve, cure”), from Proto-West Germanic *helpan, Proto-Germanic *helpaną (“to help”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelb-, *ḱelp- (“to help”).

      Cognate with North Frisian halep, heelpe, help (“to help”), Saterland Frisian hälpe (“to help”), West Frisian helpe (“to help”), Cimbrian hölfan (“to help”), Dutch helpen (“to help”), German helfen (“to help”), Low German helpen, hölpen, hülpen (“to help”), Luxembourgish hëllefen (“to help”), Yiddish העלפֿן (helfn, “to help”), Danish hjælpe (“to help”), Faroese and Icelandic hjálpa (“to help”), Norwegian Bokmål hjelpe (“to help”), Norwegian Nynorsk hjelpa, hjelpe (“to help”), Swedish hjälpa (“to help”), Gothic 𐌷𐌹𐌻𐍀𐌰𐌽 (hilpan, “to help”), Lithuanian šelpti (“to help, support”).

      Verb

      help (third-person singular simple present helps, present participle helping, simple past helped or (archaic) holp, past participle helped or (archaic) holp or (archaic) holpen)

      1. (transitive) To provide assistance to (someone or something).
        Synonym: see through
        He helped his grandfather cook breakfast.
        • 2013 June 22, “Snakes and ladders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 76:
          Risk is everywhere. […] For each one there is a frighteningly precise measurement of just how likely it is to jump from the shadows and get you. “The Norm Chronicles” […] aims to help data-phobes find their way through this blizzard of risks.
      2. (transitive) To assist (a person) in getting something, especially food or drink at table; used with to.
        It is polite to help your guests to food before serving yourself.
        Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge.
      3. (transitive) To contribute in some way to.
        The white paint on the walls helps make the room look brighter.
        If you want to get a job, it helps to have some prior experience.
        I've already taken three pills, but they don't seem to help my headache.
      4. (intransitive) To provide assistance.
        She was struggling with the groceries, so I offered to help.
        Please, help!
        • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
          As soon as Julia returned with a constable, Timothy, who was on the point of exhaustion, prepared to give over to him gratefully. The newcomer turned out to be a powerful youngster, fully trained and eager to help, and he stripped off his tunic at once.
        • 2013 June 29, “A punch in the gut”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, pages 72–3:
          Mostly, the microbiome is beneficial. It helps with digestion and enables people to extract a lot more calories from their food than would otherwise be possible. Research over the past few years, however, has implicated it in diseases from atherosclerosis to asthma to autism.
      5. (transitive) To avoid; to prevent; to refrain from; to restrain (oneself). Usually used in nonassertive contexts with can.
        We couldn’t help noticing that you were late.
        We couldn’t help but notice that you were late.
        She’s trying not to smile, but she can’t help herself.
        Can I help it if I'm so beautiful?
        Can I help it that I fell in love with you?
        Are they going to beat us? Not if I can help it!
        She never does more than she can help.
      6. (Hong Kong, Singapore) To do something on the behalf of someone.[2]
        Can you help me buy some groceries?
        Underlying meaning is “Can you go do the groceries for me?”
      7. (Singapore, Singlish, imperative) To assist or sympathize with (the speaker); used to express displeasure, disappointment or exasperation.
        Compare Malay tolong (“help; please”) and Hokkien 導郎 / 导郎 (tō͘-lông, “help; please”)
        Help lah. ― Give me a break.
      Usage notes
      Conjugation
      Conjugation of help
      infinitive (to) help
      present tense past tense
      1st-person singular help helped, holp†
      2nd-person singular help, helpest† helped, helpedst†, holp†
      3rd-person singular helps, helpeth† helped, holp†
      plural help
      subjunctive help helped, holp†
      imperative help —
      participles helping helped, holpen†

      † Archaic or obsolete.

      Synonyms
      Derived terms
      Terms derived from help (verb)
      Descendants
      • ⇒ Tok Pisin: helpim
      Translations

      Interjection

      help!

      1. A cry of distress or an urgent request for assistance.
        — Take that, you scoundrel.
        — Help! Robin, help!
        (Robin Hood (1973))
      2. (Internet slang, text messaging) A way to signal uncontrollable laughter; implying the risk of dying of laughter and needing assistance.
        helpppp that's too funny, did she rlly say that?
      Translations

      References

      1. ^ Hall, Joseph Sargent (2 March 1942), “3. The Consonants”, in The Phonetics of Great Smoky Mountain Speech (American Speech: Reprints and Monographs; 4), New York: King's Crown Press, →DOI, →ISBN, § 2, page 88.
      2. ^ Tony T.N. Hung (2012), chapter 7, in Ee-Ling Low, Azirah Hashim, editors, English in Southeast Asia: Features, policy and language in use, John Benjamins Publishing Company, page 126: “In HKE, the implication is usually to do something on behalf of someone, and not just to assist someone in doing it. For example, when someone asks you “Can you help me wash the dishes?”, the expectation is that you will do it for (rather than with) that person.”

      Anagrams

      Afrikaans

      Etymology

      From Dutch helpen, from Middle Dutch helpen, from Old Dutch helpan, from Proto-West Germanic *helpan, from Proto-Germanic *helpaną.

      Pronunciation

      Verb

      help (present help, present participle helpende, past participle gehelp)

      1. to help

      Dutch

      Pronunciation

      Etymology 1

      Interjection

      help!

      1. help!
      Alternative forms

      Etymology 2

      See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

      Verb

      help

      1. inflection of helpen:
        1. first-person singular present indicative
        2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
        3. imperative

      Esperanto

      Etymology

      From the bare root of helpi, following the model of English help! considered as internationally understood.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /help/
      • Rhymes: -elp
      • Syllabification: help

      Interjection

      help

      1. Help! (as a cry of distress)

      Further reading

      North Frisian

      Alternative forms

      Etymology

      From Old Frisian helpa, from Proto-West Germanic *helpan.

      Pronunciation

      Verb

      help (present help, 2nd singular helpst, 3rd singular helpt, past holp, perfect holpen)

      1. (Heligoland, Sylt) to help

      Old English

      Etymology

        From Proto-West Germanic *helpu, from Proto-Germanic *helpō.

        Pronunciation

        Noun

        help f

        1. help
          • c. 1000, The Rune Poem:
            ᚾ byþ nearu on brēostan, weorþeþ hī ðēah oft niþa bearnum tō helpe and tō hǣle ġehwæþre, ġif hī his hlystaþ ǣror.
            Need is burdensome on breasts, however it often comes itself to be to the sons of men as a help and as a healing of each, if they hear it before.

        Declension

        Strong ō-stem:

        singular plural
        nominative help helpa, helpe
        accusative helpe helpa, helpe
        genitive helpe helpa
        dative helpe helpum

        Descendants

        Further reading

        Old Norse

        Pronunciation

        • (12th century Icelandic) IPA(key): /help/

        Verb

        help

        1. first-person singular present indicative active of hjalpa

        Welsh

        Etymology

        Borrowed from English help.

        Pronunciation

        Noun

        help m (not mutable, uncountable)

        1. help, aid
          Synonyms: cymorth, cynhorthwy

        Derived terms

        West Frisian

        Etymology

        From Old Frisian helpe, from Proto-Germanic *helpō.

        Cognate with Danish hjælp, English help, German Hilfe.

        Pronunciation

        Noun

        help c (plural helpen, diminutive helpke)

        1. help, assistance, aid
          Synonyms: assistinsje, bystân

        Further reading

        • “help (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

        Yola

        Etymology

        From Middle English helpen, from Old English helpan, from Proto-West Germanic *helpan.

        Pronunciation

        Verb

        help

        1. to help
          • 1867, “CASTEALE CUDDE'S LAMENTATION”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 6, page 104:
            He zide hea'de help mee udh o' hoan
            He said he'd help me out of hand

        References

        • Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 104
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