ENVELOP

envelop, enfold, enwrap, wrap, enclose

(verb) enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering; “Fog enveloped the house”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

envelop (third-person singular simple present envelops, present participle enveloping, simple past and past participle enveloped)

(transitive) To surround or enclose.

Source: Wiktionary


En*vel"op, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Enveloped; p. pr. & vb. n. Enveloping.] Etym: [OE. envolupen, envolipen, OF. envoluper, envoleper, F. envelopper; pref. en- (L. in) + voluper, voleper. See Develop.]

Definition: To put a covering about; to wrap up or in; to inclose within a case, wrapper, integument or the like; to surround entirely; as, to envelop goods or a letter; the fog envelops a ship. Nocturnal shades this world envelop. J. Philips.

En"vel*ope, En*vel"op, n. Etym: [F. enveloppe.]

1. That which envelops, wraps up, encases, or surrounds; a wrapper; an inclosing cover; esp., the cover or wrapper of a document, as of a letter.

2. (Astron.)

Definition: The nebulous covering of the head or nucleus of a comet; -- called also coma.

3. (Fort.)

Definition: A work of earth, in the form of a single parapet or of a small rampart. It is sometimes raised in the ditch and sometimes beyond it. Wilhelm.

4. (Geom.)

Definition: A curve or surface which is tangent to each member of a system of curves or surfaces, the form and position of the members of the system being allowed to vary according to some continuous law. Thus, any curve is the envelope of its tangents. push the envelope. It is used to refer to the maximum performance available at the current state of the technology, and therefore refers to a class of machines in general, not a specific machine. push the envelope Increase the capability of some type of machine or system; -- usu. by technological development.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

2 June 2025

FOOTING

(noun) status with respect to the relations between people or groups; “on good terms with her in-laws”; “on a friendly footing”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest coffee press is 230 cm (7 ft 6 in) in height and 72 cm (2 ft 4 in) in diameter and was created by Salzillo Tea and Coffee (Spain) in Murcia, Spain, in February 2007. The cafetière consists of a stainless steel container, a filtering piston, and a superior lid.

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