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envelope
[ en-vuh-lohp, ahn- ]
noun
- a flat paper container, as for a letter or thin package, usually having a gummed flap or other means of closure.
- something that envelops; a wrapper, integument, or surrounding cover.
- Biology. a surrounding or enclosing structure, as a corolla or an outer membrane.
- Geometry. a curve or surface tangent to each member of a set of curves or surfaces.
- Radio. (of a modulated carrier wave) a curve connecting the peaks of a graph of the instantaneous value of the electric or magnetic component of the carrier wave as a function of time.
- the fabric structure enclosing the gasbag of an aerostat.
- the gasbag itself.
- Electronics. the airtight glass or metal housing of a vacuum tube.
- the technical limits within which an aircraft or electronic system may be safely operated.
envelope
/ ˈɒn-; ˈɛnvəˌləʊp /
noun
- a flat covering of paper, usually rectangular in shape and with a flap that can be folded over and sealed, used to enclose a letter, etc
- any covering or wrapper
- biology any enclosing structure, such as a membrane, shell, or skin
- the bag enclosing the gas in a balloon
- maths a curve or surface that is tangent to each one of a group of curves or surfaces
- electronics the sealed glass or metal housing of a valve, electric light, etc
- telecomm the outer shape of a modulated wave, formed by the peaks of successive cycles of the carrier wave
- push the envelope informal.to push the boundaries of what is possible
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of envelope1
Idioms and Phrases
- push the envelope, to stretch established limits, as in technological advance or social innovation.
Example Sentences
“The finance guy pulled me aside and handed me an envelope,” Gurr says.
In front of him were a stack of manila envelopes full of stickers that would soon be shipped off to people around the U.S.
The last time I visited, I sat by the window, with the blue line buzzing overhead, and slipped one of those postcards into an envelope addressed to one of my closest friends in California.
The union, Unite Here Local 11, filed a complaint with the California labor commissioner’s office Thursday alleging that 1Fifty1 Inc., based in Costa Mesa, paid convention workers under the table with cash in envelopes.
Unite Here Local 11 accused event management company 1Fifty1 Inc., subcontracted by the Long Beach Convention Center, of paying workers under the table with envelopes of cash.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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