hel·met (hĕl'mĭt)
n.

1. 1. A head covering of hard material, such as leather, metal, or plastic, worn by football players, firefighters, construction workers, motorcyclists, and others to protect the head.
   2. The headgear with a glass mask worn by deep-sea divers.
   3. A pith helmet; a topi.
   4. A head covering, such as a balaclava, that is shaped like a helmet.
2. A piece of armor, usually made of metal, designed to protect the head.
3. Botany. The hood-shaped sepal or corolla of some flowers.

tr. & intr.v., -met·ed, -met·ing, -mets.
To provide with or put on a helmet.

[Middle English, from Old French, diminutive of helme, of Germanic origin.]

helmeted hel'met·ed adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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