envelope
part of speech
noun (envelope, envelopes)
meaning for a pupil
1) An envelope is a flat paper cover in which you put a letter or card before posting it. tree →
2) An envelope can be any covering that wraps something, like the layer of gases around a planet. tree →
3) To envelop something is to wrap it or surround it completely. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life, children address envelopes for birthday cards and letters with the name, street, town and postcode, and a stamp in the top right corner. In maths, you can work out sums «on the back of an envelope» (quick rough working). Phrases: «seal an envelope», «address an envelope», «brown envelope», «push the envelope» (= try new, bolder things).
examples
- Put the letter in the envelope and lick the flap. tree →
- Write the address clearly on the envelope. tree →
- Stick the stamp in the top right corner of the envelope. tree →
- She opened the envelope and found a birthday card. tree →
- The winner's name was in a sealed envelope. tree →
- We did a quick sum on the back of an envelope. tree →
- The pilot liked to push the envelope. tree →
- The Dryad saw herself enveloped in lace and silk, like the women of wealth and of high birth around her. tree →
note
Pronounced «EN-vuh-lohp» or «ON-vuh-lohp». Do not confuse with the verb «envelop» (no «e» at the end, «en-VEL-up»), which means to wrap or surround completely. Countable.
In the corpora
- He writes on the back of an envelope: food £45, bus fares £20, power £15.
- "hóngbāo" is a red envelope with money in it, given by elders to children at New Year, birthdays and weddings.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «envelope» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.