helve en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /hɛlv/
Etymology
From Middle English helfe, helve; from Old English hielfe, from Proto-Germanic *halbiją. Probably cognate to English half, although Etymonline claims relation from halter and helm.
Meanings
-
The handle or haft of a tool or weapon.
It was the bad ax-helve someone had sold me— / “Made on machine,” he said, plowing the grain […]
1917, Robert Frost, "The Ax-helve":Happily they were only sketchily armed, the group-leaders carried pistols and pick-helves.
1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance (Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, published 2004, page 847:
- A forge hammer lifted by a cam acting on the helve between the fulcrum and the head.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| helves | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Translations (12)
pdt Stäl (The handle or haft of a tool or weapon) · bg дръжка (The handle or haft of a tool or weapon) · gl cabo (The handle or haft of a tool or weapon) · az qulp (The handle or haft of a tool or weapon) · fi varsi (The handle or haft of a tool or weapon) · fi tukki (The handle or haft of a tool or weapon) · az sap (The handle or haft of a tool or weapon) · fi kahva (The handle or haft of a tool or weapon) · az dəstə (The handle or haft of a tool or weapon) · pl trzonek (The handle or haft of a tool or weapon) · gl moca (The handle or haft of a tool or weapon) · az qəbzə (The handle or haft of a tool or weapon)