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sful performance of any action or the attainment of any object; to aid; to assist; as, to help a man in his work; to help one to remember; -- the following infinitive is commonly used without to; as, "Help me scale yon balcony." Longfellow.

One who, or that which, helps, aids, assists, or relieves; as, a lay helper in a parish. Thou art the helper of the fatherless. Ps. x. 14. Compassion . . . oftentimes a helper of evils. Dr. H. More.

Furnishing help; giving aid; assistant; useful; salutary. Heavens make our presence and our practices Pleasant and helpful to him! Shak. -- Help"ful*ly, adv. -- Help"ful*ness, n. Milton.

Destitute of help or strength; unable to help or defend one's self; needing help; feeble; weak; as, a helpless infant. How shall I then your helpless fame defend Pope.

A helper; a companion; specifically, a wife. In Minorca the ass and the hog are common helpmates, and are yoked together in order to turn up the land. Pennant. A waiting woman was generally considered as the most suitable helpmate for a parson. Macaulay.

A wife; a helpmate. The Lord God created Adam, . . . and afterwards, on his finding the want of a helpmeet, caused him to sleep, and took one of his ribs and thence made woman. J. H. Newman.

The act of aiding one's self, without depending on the aid of others.

One of a tribe of fresh-water crabs which live in or on the banks of rivers in tropical countries.

One of the young of a dog or a beast of prey; a puppy; a cub; as, a lion's whelps. "A bear robbed of her whelps." 2 Sam. xvii. 8.

no longer abidance in the holy hill of Palestine. Fuller. A judicious abidance by rules. Helps.

An adjunct; a helper. [Obs.]

Help; support; also, a helper. [Obs.] Waterhouse.

A helper; an assistant.

A helper or assistant. [Archaic] Drayton.

Serving to help or assist; helping. [Obs.]

A female helper or assistant. [R.]

Helping; helpful; assisting. [R.] "Adjuvant causes." Howell.

Help or support; an auxiliary. Grote.

Supplying help; auxiliary; corroborative; explanatory; as, adminicular evidence. H. Spencer.

To accelerate the growth or progress; to further; to forward; to help on; to aid; to heighten; as, to advance the ripening of fruit; to advance one's interests.