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help

/hɛlp/ noun

In Latin: auxilium, adiumentum Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about help at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. 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. Documentation provided with computer software that could be accessed using the computer.
    I can't find anything in the help about rotating an image.

verb

  1. To provide assistance to (someone or something).
    He helped his grandfather cook breakfast.
  2. 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.
  3. To contribute in some way to.
    The white paint on the walls helps make the room look brighter.

interjection

  1. A cry of distress or an urgent request for assistance.
    — Take that, you scoundrel.— Help! Robin, help!
  2. 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?

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)