Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Feel \Feel\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Felt}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Feeling}.] [AS. f?lan; akin to OS. gif?lian to perceive, D.
   voelen to feel, OHG. fuolen, G. f["u]hlen, Icel. f[=a]lma to
   grope, and prob. to AS. folm paim of the hand, L. palma. Cf.
   {Fumble}, {Palm}.]
   1. To perceive by the touch; to take cognizance of by means
      of the nerves of sensation distributed all over the body,
      especially by those of the skin; to have sensation excited
      by contact of (a thing) with the body or limbs.

            Who feel Those rods of scorpions and those whips of
            steel.                                --Creecn.

   2. To touch; to handle; to examine by touching; as, feel this
      piece of silk; hence, to make trial of; to test; often
      with out.

            Come near, . . . that I may feel thee, my son.
                                                  --Gen. xxvii.
                                                  21.

            He hath this to feel my affection to your honor.
                                                  --Shak.

   3. To perceive by the mind; to have a sense of; to
      experience; to be affected by; to be sensible of, or
      sensetive to; as, to feel pleasure; to feel pain.

            Teach me to feel another's woe.       --Pope.

            Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil
            thing.                                --Eccl. viii.
                                                  5.

            He best can paint them who shall feel them most.
                                                  --Pope.

            Mankind have felt their strength and made it felt.
                                                  --Byron.

   4. To take internal cognizance of; to be conscious of; to
      have an inward persuasion of.

            For then, and not till then, he felt himself.
                                                  --Shak.

   5. To perceive; to observe. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

   {To feel the helm} (Naut.), to obey it.

Helm \Helm\, n. [OE. helme, AS. helma rudder; akin to D. & G.
   helm, Icel. hj[=a]lm, and perh. to E. helve.]
   1. (Naut.) The apparatus by which a ship is steered,
      comprising rudder, tiller, wheel, etc.; -- commonly used
      of the tiller or wheel alone.

   2. The place or office of direction or administration. ``The
      helm of the Commonwealth.'' --Melmoth.

   3. One at the place of direction or control; a steersman;
      hence, a guide; a director.

            The helms o' the State, who care for you like
            fathers.                              --Shak.

   4. [Cf. {Helve}.] A helve. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

   {Helm amidships}, when the tiller, rudder, and keel are in
      the same plane.

   {Helm aport}, when the tiller is borne over to the port side
      of the ship.

   {Helm astarboard}, when the tiller is borne to the starboard
      side.

   {Helm alee}, {Helm aweather}, when the tiller is borne over
      to the lee or to the weather side.

   {Helm hard alee} or {hard aport}, {hard astarboard}, etc.,
      when the tiller is borne over to the extreme limit.

   {Helm port}, the round hole in a vessel's counter through
      which the rudderstock passes.

   {Helm down}, helm alee.

   {Helm up}, helm aweather.

   {To ease the helm}, to let the tiller come more amidships, so
      as to lessen the strain on the rudder.

   {To feel the helm}, to obey it.

   {To right the helm}, to put it amidships.

   {To shift the helm}, to bear the tiller over to the
      corresponding position on the opposite side of the vessel.
      --Ham. Nav. Encyc.