Word of the Day: Envelop
envelop
en-vel-op / ĕn-vĕl-əp
verb
1. to cover with a wrapping
But now that he was enveloped in the old calico robes which had grown yellow in the same service, he was badged and ticketed, and fell into his place at once–a parish child–the orphan of a workhouse–the humble, half-starved drudge–to be cuffed and buffeted through the world–despised by all, and pitied by none.
From “Oliver Twist Or The Parish Boy’s Progress” by Charles Dickens, 1812 – 1870
2. to partially or completely surround
Conceit is a fog that envelops a man’s real character beyond his own recognition.
Napoleon Hill, 1883 – 1970
etymology
Envelop comes through the Middle English verb envolupen (enclose, cover) and the Middle French verb envoluper/enveloper of the same meaning from the Old French verb envoloper, also of the same meaning, a combination of the French prepositional prefix en- (in) and the verb voloper (wrap).
Thank you to Allen Ward for providing this etymology.
