| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| envelop (v.), envelope (n.) |
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| The verb is pronounced en-VEL-uhp and is now spelled without a final -e; it means “to wrap or cover up, to surround, or to conceal”: Whenever the power goes off, the darkness envelops us. The noun is spelled with a final -e and is pronounced either EN-vuh-LOP or AHN-vuh-LOP (for a time some commentators thought the AHN- pronunciation affected, but it is a Standard variant today). It means “a flattish rectangular paper container for a letter or papers” or “the gas-holding fabric bag of a balloon or blimp” and has several other similar figurative but specialized meanings. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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