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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

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English

help

/hɛlp/
Action given to provide assistance; aid.

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    Origin

    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”).

    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”).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishhelp
      • inheritedOld Englishhelp “help, aid, assistance, relief”
        • inheritedProto-Germanic*helpō “help”
          • derivedProto-Indo-European*ḱelb-
    • inheritedMiddle Englishhelpen
      • inheritedOld Englishhelpan “to help, aid, assist, benefit, relieve, cure”
        • inheritedProto-West Germanic*helpan
          • inheritedProto-Germanic*helpaną “to help”

    Related: Saterland Frisian Hälpe, West Frisian help, Cimbrian hölfe, Dutch hulp, German Hilfe, Luxembourgish Hëllef, Mòcheno hilf, Vilamovian hyłf, Yiddish הילף, Danish hjælp, fo,is hjálp, Norwegian Bokmål hjelp, Norwegian Nynorsk hjelp, Swedish hjälp, North Frisian halep, Saterland Frisian hälpe, West Frisian helpe, Cimbrian hölfan, Dutch helpen, German helfen, Low German helpen, Luxembourgish hëllefen, Yiddish העלפֿן, Danish hjælpe

    Meanings

    noun
    1. Action given to provide assistance; aid.
    2. Something or someone which provides assistance with a task.
    3. Documentation provided with computer software that could be accessed using the computer.
    4. A study aid.
    5. One or more people employed to help in the maintenance of a house or the operation of a farm or enterprise.
    6. Correction of deficits, as by psychological counseling or medication or social support or remedial training.
    verb
    1. To provide assistance to (someone or something).
    2. To assist (a person) in getting something, especially food or drink at table; used with to.
    3. To contribute in some way to.
    4. To provide assistance.
    5. To avoid; to prevent; to refrain from; to restrain (oneself). Usually used in nonassertive contexts with can.
    6. To do something on the behalf of someone.
    intj
    1. A cry of distress or an urgent request for assistance.
    2. A way to signal uncontrollable laughter; implying the risk of dying of laughter and needing assistance.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: help