helper

plural helpers

1. One who helps; an aide; assistant; auxiliary.
2. That which helps; anything serving to assist.

   If a particular calculation is to be used a few times, it makes sense to put it in a helper cell so that it can be referred to by other formulas.

   2014, Neale Blackwood, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants, page 154

   2 more examples

   While Adobe's Acrobat Reader, Macromedia's Flash player, and other common plug-ins suggest themselves the moment you encounter a site that requires them, other browser helpers are harder to find.

   2005, PC World, volume 23, page 158

   He no longer liked food that had “helper” in the name, such as Hamburger Helper and Tuna Helper. Patsy said he'd become uppity, and maybe, when it came to food, he had.

   2012, Jude Deveraux, The Mulberry Tree, page 84

3. Hong KongPhilippinesSingaporeA person who does cleaning and cooking in a family home, or in a market; domestic employee.
4. USrail transportA locomotive that assists a train, usually on steep gradients.

   A device for the automatic control of crewless helper locomotives cut into the make-up of heavy freight trains has been perfected by the Louisville & Nashville RR in conjunction with the General Railway Signalling Co.

   1964 November, “Automatic helper locomotive control on the Louisville & Nashville RR, USA”, in Modern Railways, page 354

   Synonyms: banker

5. slangA stimulating pill, especially amphetamine.

   And I routinely took more “helpers” when I woke up in order to maintain the fast pace and, more importantly, to study for my final exams.

   1985, Priscilla Presley, Sandra Harmon, Elvis and Me, Putnam, →ISBN, page 152

1. A city in Carbon County, Utah, United States, which got its name from the practice of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad of attaching helper engines to trains there.
2. A surname; variant of Halpern or Helfer.