envelop

Envelop is a transitive verb meaning to wrap up, surround, or cover something completely. It can describe physical action, such as a blanket enveloping a room, or figurative use, such as darkness enveloping a landscape or a feeling of awe enveloping an audience. The term conveys a sense of complete enclosure or immersion rather than a partial cover.

Etymology and related terms: envelop derives from the French envelopper, meaning to wrap or enclose, and entered English through Old French. The noun envelope refers to a flat paper container used for letters and documents. Although they share a common root, envelope (the noun) and envelop (the verb) occupy different grammatical roles. In mathematics and other disciplines, the word envelope appears as a noun to denote a curve that is tangent to a family of curves; this usage is distinct from the verb envelop, but the two forms reflect related ideas of surrounding or enclosing.

Usage and style: envelop is commonly used in literary or formal prose, as well as in scientific writing when describing surrounding phenomena, such as fog enveloping a coastline or a policy change enveloping a region. In everyday language, simpler synonyms like surround, wrap, enclose, or cover are often more direct. The verb forms include enveloping (present participle) and enveloped (past tense).

Summary: Envelop describes thorough surrounding or covering, with applications ranging from weather to emotion. It is the verb form, while envelope denotes the corresponding noun for a container and has separate mathematical usage.