name
Helen
HEH-luhn
name
1
The daughter of Zeus and Leda, considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world; her abduction by Paris brought about the Trojan War.
"Fools on both sides! Helen must needs be fair, When with your blood you daily paint her thus."
— (1602)
2
A female given name from Ancient Greek.
""Is her name Ellen or Helen, Miss Viner? I thought —" Miss Viner closed her eyes. "I can sound my h's, dear, as well as anyone, but Helen is not a suitable name for a servant. I don't know what the mothers in the lower classes are coming to nowadays.""
— Agatha Christie (1928)
"Gemma followed her, thinking that Helen seemed rather an old-fashioned and elegant name for this rumpled young mother."
— Deborah Crombie (2003)
3
A place in the United States: A minor city in White County, Georgia.
4
A place in the United States: An unincorporated community in St. Mary's County, Maryland.
5
A place in the United States: A census-designated place in Raleigh County, West Virginia.
noun
1
Any of various papilionid butterflies of the genus Papilio.
"The Yellow Helen […] belongs to a clade of related swallowtail butterflies, the helenus group, or Helens, which are typically large, predominantly black butterflies with long tails and a large, white area on the hindwings."
— David G. James (2017)
2
Either of a pair of curved, spine-like appendages on some hyoliths.
Word Forms
Helens plural, Helens plural, helens plural
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “Helen”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
Fools on both sides! _____ must needs be fair, When with your blood you daily paint her thus.
Etymology
From French Hélène, from Latin Helena, from Ancient Greek Ἑλένη (Helénē). Doublet of Elaine.