To steer or guide a ship by the helm; to take control and direct a course.
From 'en-' plus 'helm,' from Old English 'helma' (steering apparatus). The helm was the wheel or tiller of a ship, and 'enhelm' meant to take control of it.
Sailors used 'enhelm' to mean 'take the wheel'—it was a command meaning 'seize control' of the ship, and figuratively it became used for taking charge of any situation, like a captain steering through dangerous waters.
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