envelope en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈɛnvə(ˌ)ləʊp/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- ĕn′vəlōp' (General-American)
- /ˈɑ̃və(ˌ)ləʊp/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- än′vəlōp' (General-American)
- (California) audio
- /ˈɛnvə(ˌ)loʊp/ (General-American)
- (UK) audio
- /ˈɒnvləʊp/ (Received-Pronunciation) chiefly a wrapping
- /ˈɒnvə(ˌ)ləʊp/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (California) audio
- (UK) audio
- /ˈɑn-/ (General-American)
Etymology
PIE word *h₁én From French enveloppe. The engineering sense is derived from flight envelope. The verb is from the noun.
Meanings
-
A paper or cardboard wrapper used to enclose small, flat items, especially letters, for mailing.
Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying them into the public ether with a generosity our forebears could not have imagined. Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet.
2013 June 14, Jonathan Freedland, “Obama's once hip brand is now tainted”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 18:
- Something that envelops; a wrapping.
-
A bag containing the lifting gas of a balloon or airship; fabric that encloses the gas-bags of an airship.
They have no internal or external support structure, being simply a fabric bag (or envelope) filled with a lighter than air gas. Inside the envelope are one or more "ballonets", or smaller bags, which help maintain the envelope's shape.
1992, Lieutenant Colonel Donald E. Ryan, Jr, The airship's potential for intertheater and intratheater airlift, DIANE Publishing, page 46:
- A mathematical curve, surface, or higher-dimensional object that is the tangent to a given family of lines, curves, surfaces, or higher-dimensional objects.
- A curve that bounds another curve or set of curves, as the modulation envelope of an amplitude-modulated carrier wave in electronics.
- The shape of a sound, which may be controlled by a synthesizer or sampler.
- The information used for routing a message that is transmitted with the message but not part of its contents.
- An enclosing structure or cover, such as a membrane; a space between two membranes
-
The set of limitations within which a technological system can perform safely and effectively.
push the envelope
Few of the lads had ever been in combat and they knew little about the critical tolerances of fighter aircraft during violent maneuvers. They knew where the outside of the envelope was, but they didn't know about the part where you reached the outside and then stretched her a little . . .
1980, Tom Wolfe, The Right Stuff, Bantam Books, →ISBN, page 350:
- The nebulous covering of the head or nucleus of a comet; a coma.
-
An earthwork in the form of a single parapet or a small rampart, sometimes raised in the ditch and sometimes beyond it.
make a blind all along the bottom of the ditch of the Envelope
1816, James Stanier Clarke, The Life of James the Second King of England:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| envelopes | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
envelope paradox · convex envelope · kinematic envelope · brown envelope journalism · stripped-envelope supernova · opening of an envelope · padded envelope · envelope stuffer · brown envelope syndrome · viral envelope · push the edge of the envelope · flight envelope · building envelope · red envelope · back-of-the-envelope · blind envelope · stretch the envelope · nuclear envelope · return envelope · envelope-stuffer · invitation envelope · transenvelope · bubble envelope · banker's envelope · concave envelope · back-of-an-envelope · Dahlke envelope · Gaza Envelope · envelogram · window envelope · floral envelope · push the envelope · envelopathy · work envelope · penalty envelope · manila envelope · envelope detector
Synonyms
Translations (196)
yi קאָנווערט (wrapper for mailing) · am አምቦልክ (wrapper for mailing) · el περιχιτώνιο (biology: enclosing structure or cover) · de Umschlag (something that envelops) · eo koverto (wrapper for mailing) · ga clúdach (wrapper for mailing) · sv konvolut (wrapper for mailing) · ru огиба́ющая (electronics: curve that bounds a set of curves) · el φάκελος (wrapper for mailing) · mk обвивка (something that envelops) · ky конверт (wrapper for mailing) · sv hölje (bag containing the lifting gas) · ro plic (wrapper for mailing) · hu boríték (wrapper for mailing) · da konvolut (wrapper for mailing) · ru огиба́ющая (geometry: object that is the tangent to a family of objects) · et mähisjoon (electronics: curve that bounds a set of curves) · cmn 信封 (wrapper for mailing) · nb konvolutt (wrapper for mailing) · ast sobre (wrapper for mailing) · ps پاکټ (wrapper for mailing) · th ซองจดหมาย (wrapper for mailing) · sh kòvērta (wrapper for mailing) · ia inveloppe (wrapper for mailing) · ro înfășurătoare (geometry: object that is the tangent to a family of objects) · sq zarf (wrapper for mailing) · ar ظرف (wrapper for mailing) · ro sac (bag containing the lifting gas) · sv konvolut (something that envelops) · fi kuori (something that envelops) · ca sobre de carta (wrapper for mailing) · ca sobre (wrapper for mailing) · is umslag (wrapper for mailing) · as খাম (wrapper for mailing) · lv aploksne (wrapper for mailing) · th ซอง (wrapper for mailing) · nrf env'loppe (wrapper for mailing) · eu sobre (wrapper for mailing) · arz ظرف (wrapper for mailing) · sh òmotnica (wrapper for mailing) · pl obwiednia (geometry: object that is the tangent to a family of objects) · it busta (wrapper for mailing) · uk обго́ртка (something that envelops) · ja エンベロープ (music: shape of a sound) · mi kōpaki (something that envelops) · zdj ɓahasha (wrapper for mailing) · pa ਲਿਫ਼ਾਫ਼ਾ (wrapper for mailing) · gl sobre (wrapper for mailing) · mn дугтуй (wrapper for mailing) · sh omòtāč (something that envelops) · lt vokas (wrapper for mailing) · tl sobre (wrapper for mailing) · lo ຊອງຈົດໝາຍ (wrapper for mailing) · bg обви́вка (something that envelops) · be абало́нка (bag containing the lifting gas) · uk конве́рт (wrapper for mailing) · gu પરબીડિયું (wrapper for mailing) · la thēca (wrapper for mailing) · sh ко̀ве̄рта (wrapper for mailing) · fr enveloppe (geometry: object that is the tangent to a family of objects) · sh коверат (wrapper for mailing) · es sobrescripto (wrapper for mailing) · ru обёртка (something that envelops) · mi kōpaki (wrapper for mailing) · my စာအိတ် (wrapper for mailing) · tg пакет (wrapper for mailing) · ru оболо́чка (biology: enclosing structure or cover) · de Umschlag (wrapper for mailing) · te కవరు (wrapper for mailing) · bo ཡིག་སྐོག (wrapper for mailing) · nl briefomslag (wrapper for mailing) · vi bao thư (wrapper for mailing) · lb Enveloppe (wrapper for mailing) · bn লেফাফা (wrapper for mailing) · fi rajakäyrä (engineering: limits within which a technological system can perform safely and effectively) · ee akpa (wrapper for mailing) · bn খাম (wrapper for mailing) · sv kuvert (wrapper for mailing) · fi kuori (bag containing the lifting gas) · kn ಲಕೋಟೆ (wrapper for mailing) · ms sampul surat (wrapper for mailing) · ti ሰታሪት (wrapper for mailing) · el περίβλημα (biology: enclosing structure or cover) · km ស្រោមសំបុត្រ (wrapper for mailing) · pl powłoka (something that envelops) · de Briefumschlag (wrapper for mailing) · ta கடித உறை (wrapper for mailing) · az konvert (wrapper for mailing) · ro înveliș (something that envelops) · ur لِفافَہ (wrapper for mailing) · ru огиба́ющая (music: shape of a sound) · ota زار (something that envelops) · id amplop (wrapper for mailing) · sv omslag (something that envelops) · ro învelitură (something that envelops) · hu levélboríték (wrapper for mailing) · aii ܠܦܵܦܵܐ (wrapper for mailing) · pt envelope (bag containing the lifting gas) · bg плик (wrapper for mailing) · oc envolopa (wrapper for mailing) · nl omslag (something that envelops) · de Hüllkurve (geometry: object that is the tangent to a family of objects) · gd cèis-litreach (wrapper for mailing) · kk конверт (wrapper for mailing) · izh konvertti (wrapper for mailing) · pl obwiednia (electronics: curve that bounds a set of curves) · ro înveliș (biology: enclosing structure or cover) · mr लिफाफा (wrapper for mailing) · he מַעֲטָפָה (wrapper for mailing) · ka კონვერტი (wrapper for mailing) · fa-ira پاکَت (wrapper for mailing) · ar لِفَافَة (wrapper for mailing) · el περίβλημα (something that envelops) · et ümbrik (wrapper for mailing) · sk obálka (wrapper for mailing) · ko 봉투 (wrapper for mailing) · mn ороолт (wrapper for mailing) · fi kirjekuori (wrapper for mailing) · fr enveloppe (wrapper for mailing) · sh омо̀та̄ч (something that envelops) · uk оболо́нка (bag containing the lifting gas) · ru конве́рт (wrapper for mailing) · ca envolupant (electronics: curve that bounds a set of curves) · mk плик (wrapper for mailing) · fa-ira پاکَتِ نامِه (wrapper for mailing) · ms pembungkus (something that envelops) · yue 信封 (wrapper for mailing) · fi vaippa (geometry: object that is the tangent to a family of objects) · fi kuori (biology: enclosing structure or cover) · ar غِلَاف (something that envelops) · fi kääre (something that envelops) · hy ծրար (wrapper for mailing) · ro anvelopă (geometry: object that is the tangent to a family of objects) · be абало́нка (biology: enclosing structure or cover) · ms sampul (something that envelops) · vi phong bì (wrapper for mailing) · tl bilot (geometry: object that is the tangent to a family of objects) · sl ovojnica (wrapper for mailing) · ta உறை (wrapper for mailing) · sw bahasha (wrapper for mailing) · fi päällys (something that envelops) · az zərf (wrapper for mailing) · ml ലക്കോട്ട് (wrapper for mailing) · fi kirjekuori (computing: routing information of an email) · tg лифофа (wrapper for mailing) · fi verhokäyrä (music: shape of a sound) · ug كونۋېرت (wrapper for mailing) · el περιβάλλουσα (geometry: object that is the tangent to a family of objects) · es sobrescrito (wrapper for mailing) · pl koperta (wrapper for mailing) · fa-ira لِفاف (wrapper for mailing) · pt invólucro (something that envelops) · tk bukja (wrapper for mailing) · nl envelop (wrapper for mailing) · pl obwiednia (music: shape of a sound) · de Hülle (bag containing the lifting gas) · nan-hbl 批囊 (wrapper for mailing) · ru оболо́чка (bag containing the lifting gas) · hi लिफ़ाफ़ा (wrapper for mailing) · gd cèis (wrapper for mailing) · fi verhokäyrä (electronics: curve that bounds a set of curves) · pau huto (wrapper for mailing) · es sobre (wrapper for mailing) · cs obálka (wrapper for mailing) · lo ຊອງຫນັງສື (wrapper for mailing) · sh koverat (wrapper for mailing) · khb ᦏᦳᧂᦟᦻ (wrapper for mailing) · ms sampul (wrapper for mailing) · pt envelope (wrapper for mailing) · uz konvert (wrapper for mailing) · mk коверт (wrapper for mailing) · uk оболо́нка (biology: enclosing structure or cover) · uk заго́ртка (something that envelops) · ms sarung (something that envelops) · pdt Kwarkj (wrapper for mailing) · io kuverto (wrapper for mailing) · es envelop (wrapper for mailing) · ga clúdach litreach (wrapper for mailing) · kmr zerf (wrapper for mailing) · ar مُغَلَّف (wrapper for mailing) · sh о̀мотница (wrapper for mailing) · sa उल्ब (something that envelops) · hi लिफाफा (wrapper for mailing) · tt конверт (wrapper for mailing) · be абго́ртка (something that envelops) · ja 封筒 (wrapper for mailing) · tr zarf (wrapper for mailing) · la involūcrum (something that envelops) · el κέλυφος (engineering: limits within which a technological system can perform safely and effectively) · ca envolupant (music: shape of a sound) · ro pungă (bag containing the lifting gas) · pl otoczka (something that envelops) · da kuvert (wrapper for mailing) · be канве́рт (wrapper for mailing) · cy amlen (wrapper for mailing) · or ଲିଭୋପା (wrapper for mailing)