helve

[helv] /hɛlv/
noun
1.
the handle of an ax, hatchet, hammer, or the like.
verb (used with object), helved, helving.
2.
to furnish with a helve.
Origin
before 900; Middle English; Old English h(i)elfe
Related forms
helver, noun
unhelved, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for helve

helve

/hɛlv/
noun
1.
the handle of a hand tool such as an axe or pick
verb
2.
(transitive) to fit a helve to (a tool)
Word Origin
Old English hielfe; related to Old Saxon hèlvi, Old High German halb, Lithuanian kìlpa stirrup; see halter
Word Origin and History for helve
n.

Old English helfe, hielfe "handle of an axe" or other tool or weapon, from Proto-Germanic *halb- (cf. Old Saxon helvi, Middle Dutch helf, Old High German halb "handle of an axe," Old High German helmo "tiller"); related to halter and helm (1), from PIE *kelp- "to hold, grasp." In Middle English, to holden the axe bi the helve (c.1200) meant "to take something by the right end."