envelop

• invelop, invelope (obsolete)
• envelope (archaic)

From Middle English envolupen, from Old French anveloper, envoluper (modern French envelopper), from en- + voloper, vloper (“to wrap, wrap up”) (compare Italian -viluppare; Old Italian alternative form goluppare (“to wrap”)) from Vulgar Latin *vuloppare (“to wrap”), from Proto-Germanic *wlappaną, *wrappaną (“to wrap, roll up, turn, wind”), from Proto-Indo-European *werb- (“to turn, bend”) . Akin to Middle English wlappen (“to wrap, fold”) (Modern English lap (“to wrap, involve, fold”)), Middle English wrappen (“to wrap”), Middle Dutch lappen (“to wrap up, embrace”), Danish dialectal vravle (“to wind, twist”), Middle Low German wrempen (“to wrinkle, distort”), Old English wearp (“warp”). Doublet of enwrap.

• enPR: ĕn-vĕlʹəp, IPA^(key): /ɛnˈvɛləp/

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

1. (transitive) To surround or enclose.
   • 1906 April, O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “From the Cabby’s Seat”, in The Four Million, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co, →OCLC, page 165:

     In the fulness of time there was an eruption of the merry-makers to the sidewalk. The uninvited guests enveloped and permeated them, and upon the night air rose joyous cries, congratulations, laughter and unclassified noises born of McGary's oblations to the hymeneal scene.

   • 1992, Rudolf M Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page 4:

     (b) sporophyte with foot reduced, the entire sporophyte enveloped by the calyptra, which is ± stipitate at the base.

   • 2011 December 10, Marc Higginson, “Bolton 1 - 2 Aston Villa”, in BBC Sport‎:

     The Midlanders will hope the victory will kickstart a campaign that looked to have hit the buffers, but the sense of trepidation enveloping the Reebok Stadium heading into the new year underlines the seriousness of the predicament facing Owen Coyle's men.

   • 2022 November 16, Paul Bigland, “From rural branches to high-speed arteries”, in RAIL, number 970, page 52:

     Then we trundle along a railway enveloped in trees for much of its route, before the river widens, allowing unobstructed views as the line hugs one bank before arriving at Looe, where the single platform is just long enough to fit a two-car Class 150.

• envelope

• enveloppe

Borrowed from French enveloppe.

• IPA^(key): /ˌɑn.vəˈlɔp/, /ˌɛn.vəˈlɔp/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: en‧ve‧lop
• Rhymes: -ɔp

envelop f (plural enveloppen, diminutive envelopje n)

1. an envelope, closing paper wrapper as used for mailing

• briefomslag

• leven op, opleven