envelope

noun en·ve·lope \ ˈen-və-ˌlōp , ˈän- \

|Updated on: 18 Jul 2018

Usage guide: How do you pronounce envelope?

Definition of envelope

1 : a flat usually paper container (as for a letter)

2 : something that envelops : wrapper

the envelope of air around the earth

3 a : the outer covering of an aerostat

b : the bag containing the gas in a balloon or airship

4 a : a natural enclosing covering (such as a membrane, shell, or integument)

b : a lipoprotein unit membrane that forms the outer layer of some virions

5 a : a curve tangent to each of a family of curves

b : a surface tangent to each of a family of surfaces

6 : a set of performance limits (as of an aircraft) that may not be safely exceeded; also : the set of operating parameters that exists within these limits

7 : a conventionally accepted limit

new computers that push the envelope

See envelope defined for English-language learners

See envelope defined for kids

How do you pronounce envelope?

The \ˈen-\ and \ˈän-\ pronunciations are used with about equal frequency, and both are fully acceptable, though the \ˈän-\ version is sometimes decried as "pseudo-French." Actually \ˈän-\ is exactly what one would expect to hear when a French word like entrepreneur is becoming anglicized. Envelope, however, has been in English for nearly 300 years, plenty of time for it to become completely anglicized and for both of its pronunciations to win respectability.

Recent Examples of envelope from the Web

The doctor would routinely leave prescriptions in envelopes at the liquor store neighboring his practice.

— ruth bruno, courant.com, "Norwalk Doctor Pleads Guilty To Prescribing Unnecessary Drugs," 25 June 2018
Benetton, founded in 1965 as a family company, grew into an international juggernaut with thousands of outlets worldwide and a reputation for pushing the envelope while championing diversity in its images.

— ceylan yeginsu, New York Times, "Benetton ‘Migrants’ Ads Draw Outrage for Using Photos of Real Migrants," 21 June 2018
And then when things are going well, keep trying to push that envelope.

— teddy greenstein, chicagotribune.com, "Once guarded, now open: Former Cubs phenom Mark Prior back at Wrigley as Dodgers’ bullpen coach," 19 June 2018
Here, Orlando and his dedicated team serve push-all-the-envelopes food with a mission to (eventually) generate zero waste: kale stems flavor a béarnaise, wood infuses oil, and potato peels are worked into bread.

— Bon Appetit, "Amass," 18 June 2018
Best of luck to all the engineers doubtlessly at work trying to figure out how to push the envelope to 2,000.

— eric limer, Popular Mechanics, "Is This The Most Bonkers Nerf Mod Humanly Possible?," 7 June 2018
Getty Images Kim Kardashian West pushes the envelope in all areas, but maybe most of all as an entrepreneur.

— kayleigh roberts, Marie Claire, "Kim Kardashian Unveiled Her Nude Body Perfume Bottle," 26 Apr. 2018
Those of you who live south of Zone 6, on the other hand, can push the envelope, opting for varieties that need more time to reach their full potential.

— the editors of organic life, Good Housekeeping, "How To Grow The Most Gorgeous Chrysanthemums This Fall," 30 Aug. 2017
At the placemat nearest the photo, where on his final visit home Tyler might have eaten breakfast, there’s a Priority Mail envelope sealed with masking tape.

— greg bishop, SI.com, "A College QB's Suicide. A Family's Search for Answers.," 26 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'envelope.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of envelope

circa 1714

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Paper Terms

folio, palimpsest, quire, ream

ENVELOPE Defined for English Language Learners

envelope

noun

Definition of envelope for English Language Learners

: an enclosing cover for a letter, card, etc.

ENVELOPE Defined for Kids

envelope

noun en·ve·lope \ ˈen-və-ˌlōp , ˈän- \

Definition of envelope for Students

: a flat usually paper container (as for a letter)

Medical Dictionary

envelope

noun en·ve·lope \ ˈen-və-ˌlōp , ˈän- \

medical Definition of envelope

: a natural enclosing covering (as a membrane or integument); especially : a lipoprotein unit membrane that forms the outer layer of some virions and surrounds the viral capsid

These glycoprotein complexes, swept up by the budding virus as it acquires its envelope, are crucial to HIV's ability to infect new cells.
—William A. Haseltine et al., Scientific American, October 1988