▪ I. helping, vbl. n.
(ˈhɛlpɪŋ)
[-ing1.]
1. The action of the verb help; help, aid, assistance, succour.
| c 1205 Lay. 23748 Þe heȝe heueneliche king stonde me an helping. a 1300 Cursor M. 5304 (Gött.) Thanck him of his gret helping. 1382 Wyclif 1 Cor. xii. 28 Aftirward vertues, aftirward graces of heelingis, helpingis. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccxxxix. 347 [He] wolde make..greatter warre then euer he had done before, with the helpynge of the bastarde Henry. 1616 Surfl. & Markh. Country Farme 413 But such sweet Apples..stand not in need of hauing any sowre Apples mixt with them, to the helping of them to make good Cider. 1846 Trench Mirac. xiii. (1862) 241 The law of all true helping. |
† b. Use, service, function. Obs.
| c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 26 Þer ben þre helpingis of þe arteries. 1548–77 Vicary Anat. ii. (1888) 18 The Bone..hath diuers formes..for the diuersitie of helpings. |
† 2. A means of help, an aid; an ally. Obs.
| 13.. Guy Warw. (A.) 3242 Þer-fore ne wonde þou no-þing Nouȝt for him no his helping. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 1283 Þou for me schalt don a þyng..And ther-to ben myn helpyng. 1555 L. Saunders in Coverdale Lett. Mart. (1564) 205 Yea howe all thynges haue bene holpynges vnto vs. |
3. The action of serving food at a meal; concr. a portion of food served at one time (= help n. 6).
| 1824 Lamb Elia Ser. ii. Capt. Jackson, Carving could not lessen, nor helping diminish it. 1865 Trollope Belton Est. xxiv. 286 There was some little trouble as to the helping of the fish. 1883 Besant All in Gard. Fair ii. i, A pretty fair slice, a large helping. 1893 Q. [Couch] Delect. Duchy 286 Holding out his plate for a second helping of the pasty. |
▪ II. helping, ppl. a.
[f. as prec. + -ing2.]
That helps; rendering assistance; helpful; auxiliary. (Chiefly in phr. a helping hand.)
| a 1300 Cursor M. 29303 Þe sext [case of cursing] es þaa men..Þat helpand es to sarazines Gain cristen men. 1389 Eng. Gilds (1870) 5 Þe forsaide bretherhede shul be helpyng aȝeins þ⊇ rebelle & vnboxhum. c 1450 tr. De Imitatione iii. xlv. 115 It is sone amendid, whan it pleasiþ þe to put to an helping honde. 1590 Recorde's, etc., Gr. Artes (1640) 370 When time shall fall fit..you shall not want my helping hand. 1705 Stanhope Paraphr. I. 58 All lend their helping hand. 1824 L. Murray Eng. Gram. (ed. 5) I. 109 Auxiliary or helping Verbs, are those by the help of which the English verbs are principally conjugated. 1883 S. C. Hall Retrospect II. 31 Ready to hold out a helping hand to those whose struggles for fame were just beginning. 1892 Davidson Heb. Gr. 50 The helping vowel between the stem and the suffix seems in all cases traceable to i or a. |
Hence ˈhelpingly adv. rare.
| 1611 Cotgr., Subsidiairement, subsidiarily, helpingly. 1884 Harper's Mag. Jan. 263/1 Saints..who..watch over and guard helpingly sinful men on earth. |