helm
n. countablen. the wheel or handle used to steer a ship or boat. It is also used to describe being the leader of a group or organization.
n. a tiller or wheel for steering a ship or boat. Often used figuratively to denote a position of leadership or control.
The captain stood at the helm during the storm.
After the founder retired, a new CEO took the helm to guide the company through the merger.
The experienced navigator remained at the helm for twelve hours, skillfully maneuvering the vessel through the narrow, rocky channel as the tide began to turn.
Perhaps so called from the 'helm' or cap of clouds that forms above Cross Fell (known as the Helm Bar) and can predict and accompany a Helm.
Two main origins: * An English topographic surname for someone who lived by or worked at a temporary shelter for animals, from Middle English helm (“a helmet; a protection”). * Borrowed from German Helm (“a helmet”), metonymic occupational surname for a maker of helmets.
Commonly used in the idiomatic phrase 'at the helm' to describe someone in charge.