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envelope

/ˈɛnvə(ˌ)ləʊp/ noun

In Latin: thēca Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about envelope at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. A flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
  2. Any wrapper or covering.
  3. A curve that is tangent to each of a family of curves.

Origin

PIE word *h₁én From French enveloppe. The engineering sense is derived from flight envelope. The verb is from the noun.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)