Meanings
present singular third person envelops · participle present enveloping · participle past enveloped · past enveloped · alternative invelop · alternative invelope · alternative envelope
- transitiveTo surround, enclose or enfold.
(b) sporophyte with foot reduced, the entire sporophyte enveloped by the calyptra, which is ± stipitate at the base.
1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page 43 more examples
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.
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 165The 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.
2011 December 10, Marc Higginson, “Bolton 1 - 2 Aston Villa”, in BBC SportThen 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.
2022 November 16, Paul Bigland, “From rural branches to high-speed arteries”, in RAIL, number 970, page 52
Synonyms & antonyms
verbenclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*werb-“to turn, bend”
- Proto-Germanic*wlappaną
- Vulgar Latin*vuloppare“to wrap”
- Old Frenchanveloper
- Middle Englishenvolupen
- Englishenvelop
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”) http://www.wordnik.com/words/envelop. 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.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Vulgar Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian обвивам, обгръщам
- обвивам (obvivam)to surround or enclose
- обгръщам (obgrăštam)to surround or enclose
Chinese Mandarin 包裹, 包围
- 包裹 (bāoguǒ)to surround or enclose
- 包围 (bāowéi)to surround or enclose
- 籠罩 /笼罩 (lǒngzhào)to surround or enclose
Dutch omvatten, omhullen
- omvattento surround or enclose
- omhullento surround or enclose
Finnish sulkea
- sulkeato surround or enclose
French envelopper
- envelopperto surround or enclose
German einhüllen, umhüllen
- einhüllento surround or enclose
- umhüllento surround or enclose
Greek τυλίγω, περιβάλλω
- τυλίγω (tylígo)to surround or enclose
- περιβάλλω (perivállo)to surround or enclose
- περιτυλίγω (peritylígo)to surround or enclose
- περικυκλώνω (perikyklóno)to surround or enclose
Hungarian körbevesz, körülvesz
- körbeveszto surround or enclose
- körülveszto surround or enclose
- bekerítto surround or enclose
- beburkolto surround or enclose
- beborítto surround or enclose
Italian circondare, avviluppare
- circondareto surround or enclose
- avviluppareto surround or enclose
Japanese 立ち込める
- 立ち込める (tachikomeru)to surround or enclose
Māori kōpaki
- kōpakito surround or enclose
Norwegian Bokmål omringe, omgi
- omringeto surround or enclose
- omgito surround or enclose
- innelukketo surround or enclose
Portuguese envolver
- envolverto surround or enclose
Russian окружа́ть, обволакивать
- окружа́ть (okružátʹ)to surround or enclose
- обволакивать (obvolakivatʹ)to surround or enclose
Spanish envolver
- envolverto surround or enclose
Thai ห่อหุ้ม
- ห่อหุ้มto surround or enclose
Ukrainian огорта́ти, огорну́ти
- огорта́ти (ohortáty)to surround or enclose
- огорну́ти (ohornúty)to surround or enclose
- обгорта́ти (obhortáty)to surround or enclose
- обгорну́ти (obhornúty)to surround or enclose
- оповива́ти (opovyváty)to surround or enclose
- опови́ти (opovýty)to surround or enclose
- обволіка́ти (obvolikáty)to surround or enclose
- обволокти́ (obvoloktý)to surround or enclose
Cite this entry
envelop. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/envelop
“envelop.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/envelop. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “envelop,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/envelop.
Source: envelop on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.