The Wordsmith Dictionary

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. ]

Defn: 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.

ENVELOPE; ENVELOP

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.)

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

3. (Fort. )

Defn: 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.)

Defn: 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.

ENVELOPMENT

En *vel "op *ment, n. Etym: [Cf. F. enveloppement.]

1. The act of enveloping or wrapping; an inclosing or covering on all sides.

2. That which envelops or surrounds; an envelop.

New American Oxford Dictionary

envelop

en vel op |enˈveləp ənˈvɛləp | ▶verb ( envelops, enveloping , enveloped ) [ with obj. ] wrap up, cover, or surround completely: a figure enveloped in a black cloak | figurative : a feeling of despair enveloped him. • (of troops ) surround (an enemy force ). DERIVATIVES en vel op ment noun ORIGIN late Middle English (formerly also as invelop (e )): from Old French envoluper, from en- ‘in ’ + a second element (also found in develop ) of unknown origin. usage: Envelop is a verb, stressed on the second syllable and meaning ‘wrap completely. ’ The noun meaning ‘paper container for a letter ’ is envelope, stressed on the first syllable.

envelope

en vel ope |ˈenvəˌlōp, ˈänvə -ˈɛnvəˌloʊp ˈɑnvəˌloʊp | ▶noun 1 a flat paper container with a sealable flap, used to enclose a letter or document. 2 a covering or containing structure or layer: the external envelope of the swimming pool. • the outer metal or glass housing of a vacuum tube, electric light, etc. • the structure within a balloon or nonrigid airship containing the gas. • Microbiology a membrane forming the outer layer of certain viruses. • Electronics a curve joining the successive peaks of a modulated wave. • Mathematics a curve or surface tangent to each of a family of curves or surfaces. • Astronomy the nebulous covering of the head of a comet; coma. PHRASES push the envelope informal approach or extend the limits of what is possible: these are extremely witty and clever stories that consistently push the envelope of TV comedy. [originally aviation slang, relating to graphs of aerodynamic performance. ]ORIGIN mid 16th cent. (in the sense ‘wrapper, enveloping layer ’): from French enveloppe, from envelopper ‘envelop. ’ The sense ‘covering of a letter ’ dates from the early 18th cent.

Oxford Dictionary

envelop

envelop |ɪnˈvɛləp, ɛn- | ▶verb ( envelops, enveloping, enveloped ) [ with obj. ] wrap up, cover, or surround completely: a figure enveloped in a black cloak | figurative : a feeling of despair enveloped him. DERIVATIVES envelopment noun ORIGIN late Middle English (formerly also as invelop (e )): from Old French envoluper, from en- ‘in ’ + a second element (also found in develop ) of unknown origin. usage: Envelop is a verb, stressed on the second syllable and meaning ‘wrap completely ’. The noun meaning ‘paper container for a letter ’ is envelope, stressed on the first syllable.

envelope

envelope |ˈɛnvələʊp, ˈɒn -| ▶noun 1 a flat paper container with a sealable flap, used to enclose a letter or document. 2 a covering or containing structure or layer: the external envelope of the swimming pool. • the outer metal or glass housing of a vacuum tube, electric light, etc. • the structure within a balloon or non-rigid airship containing the gas. • Microbiology a membrane which forms the outer layer of certain viruses. • Electronics a curve joining the successive peaks of a modulated wave. • Mathematics a curve or surface tangent to each of a family of curves or surfaces. PHRASES the back of an envelope used in reference to calculations or plans of the most sketchy kind: a proposal drawn up on the back of an envelope. push the envelope (or the edge of the envelope ) approach or extend the limits of what is possible: these are extremely witty and clever stories that consistently push the envelope of TV comedy. [originally aviation slang, relating to graphs of aerodynamic performance. ]ORIGIN mid 16th cent. (in the sense ‘wrapper, enveloping layer ’; originally as envelope ): from French enveloppe, from envelopper ‘envelop ’. The sense ‘covering of a letter ’ dates from the early 18th cent.

American Oxford Thesaurus

envelop

envelop verb enveloped in a blanket, safe in his mother's arms: surround, cover, enfold, engulf, encircle, encompass, cocoon, sheathe, swathe, enclose; cloak, screen, shield, veil, shroud.

envelope

envelope noun she tore open the envelope: wrapper, wrapping, sleeve, cover, covering, casing, package.

Oxford Thesaurus

envelop

envelop verb the gases of the atmosphere that envelop the Earth: surround, cover, enfold, enwrap, blanket, swathe, swaddle, wrap (up ), engulf, encircle, encompass, cocoon, sheathe, encase, enclose; cloak, conceal, hide, obscure, cover (up ), screen, shield, mask, veil, shroud; literary mantle, enshroud; rare obnubilate.

envelope

envelope noun she tore open the envelope: wrapper, wrapping, wrap, sleeve, cover, covering; casing, case.

Duden Dictionary

Enveloppe

En ve lop pe Substantiv, feminin , die |ãvəˈlɔp (ə )|französisch 1 a veraltet Hülle b veraltet Futteral c veraltet Decke d veraltet [Brief ]umschlag 2 Mathematik bestimmte (einhüllende ) Kurve einer gegebenen Kurvenschar; Kurve, die alle Kurven einer gegebenen Schar (einer Vielzahl von Kurven ) berührt und umgekehrt in jedem ihrer Punkte von einer Kurve der Schar berührt wird 3 Anfang des 19. Jahrhunderts übliches schmales, mantelähnliches Kleid

French Dictionary

enveloppant

enveloppant , ante adj. adjectif 1 Qui enveloppe. : Une robe enveloppante. 2 figuré Qui séduit. : Un ton de voix enveloppant. SYNONYME captivant ; séduisant .

enveloppe

enveloppe n. f. nom féminin 1 Ce qui sert à envelopper. : Un oreiller de duvet de canard disposé dans une enveloppe de coton. 2 Morceau de papier plié en forme de poche et qui est destiné à contenir une lettre, un document, etc. : Une enveloppe matelassée. tableau – enveloppe. FORME FAUTIVE enveloppe-retour préadressée. Impropriété pour enveloppe-réponse affranchie ou enveloppe-réponse timbrée. Enveloppe-réponse. Enveloppe portant l ’adresse de l ’expéditeur, ce qui évite au destinataire le souci de se procurer une enveloppe, de rédiger une adresse et l ’incite ainsi à répondre. : Des enveloppes-réponses (et non *enveloppes-retour préadressées, *pré -adressées, enveloppes *de retour ). Enveloppe timbrée. Enveloppe dont les frais d ’affranchissement sont payés d ’avance par l ’expéditeur ou le destinataire. SYNONYME enveloppe affranchie ; enveloppe prêt -à-poster . Note Technique Le terme enveloppe préaffranchie peut sembler redondant et il est critiqué par certains auteurs. C ’est toutefois le terme en usage dans de nombreuses organisations, dont Postes Canada (GDT ).

envelopper

envelopper v. tr. verbe transitif 1 Recouvrir. : Envelopper un enfant d ’une couverture. SYNONYME couvrir . 2 figuré Environner de toutes parts, recouvrir complètement. : « Et la pluie m ’enveloppait comme un doux manteau » (Alain Grandbois , Les Îles de la nuit ). SYNONYME baigner ; imprégner . 3 Emballer. : Envelopper un colis, un cadeau. aimer

Sanseido Wisdom Dictionary

envelop

en vel op /ɪnvéləp /動詞他動詞 «…に » …を包む, 覆う (wrap ) «in » ▸ envelop a letter 手紙を封筒に入れる ▸ envelop oneself in a blanket 毛布にくるまる .～ment 名詞

envelope

en ve lope /énvəlòʊp , ｟米｠ɑ́n -, ｟英｠ɔ́n -/〖en (中へ )velope (包むこと )〗名詞複～s /-s /C 1 封筒 .コーパスの窓 envelopeを使った表現 1 …封筒 ▸ a stamped (, ) self-addressed ～; ｟米｠ a self-addressed (, ) stamped ～; ｟英｠ a stamped (, ) addressed ～切手を貼（は）った返信用封筒 (!単なる「返信用封筒」はa return [reply ] ～) ▸ a postage-paid [postpaid, ｟米｠prepaid ] ～郵便料金支払済み封筒 ▸ a business ｟米｠[freepost ｟英｠] reply ～(企業などの )料金受取人払いの封筒 .2 封筒に ▸ write an address on an ～; address an ～封筒に住所を書く ▸ put a stamp on the ～封筒に切手を貼る ▸ put a letter in [into ] an ～封筒に手紙を入れる ▸ lick the flap and seal the ～(封筒の )たれぶたをなめて封筒に封をする ▸ write A down on the back of an ～(しばしば臨時のメモ用紙として )封筒の裏にAを書き留める .3 封筒を ▸ tear open the ～ [the ～ open ]封筒を破って開ける ▸ open an ～ with a letter opener ｟主に米｠[a paper knife ｟英｠]ペーパーナイフで封筒を開ける .4 封筒で ▸ return A (along ) with this form in the enclosed [attached ] ～この申し込み用紙と共にAを同封の [添付の ]封筒で返送する .2 包み , 覆い .3 〘コンピュ〙(フロッピーディスクで磁性体を包む )ケース , エンベロープ (jacket ).4 〘天〙(彗星（すいせい）のまわりの )包被 , エンベロープ .5 (気球飛行船などの )気嚢（きのう）.6 〘空〙(安全運行上の )限界範囲 .