Etymologically
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heal

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:09. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈhiːl/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English helen, inherited from Old English hǣlan (“to cure, save, make whole”),[2][3][4] from Proto-Germanic *hailjan, literally to make whole,[2][5] from *hailaz, also the source of whole and hale,[3][5][6] and cognate with Old Frisian hēla, Dutch helen, German heilen, Old Norse heila and Gothic hailjan.[3][2] Etymonline traces it to PIE *kailo-, whole (see health).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

To make whole and sound: about 725, in Genesis A;[3] about 1000 in the OED.[7]

Semantic evolution

The intransitive sense, to become sound, is from the late 14th century.[2] Of a wound, to close and repair naturally, and of relations, to restore harmony, are senses that Collins lists beside the medical one.[6] Restoring a person to spiritual wholeness is a further sense.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 725 – hǣlan, to make whole.[3]
  • before 1200 – healen, helen.[3]
  • late 14th century – to become sound.[2]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To make or become healthy again; to cure.
  2. Of a wound, to repair naturally.
  3. To put right; to restore friendly relations.
  4. To restore a person to spiritual wholeness.

Word family

  • healable
  • allheal
  • heal-all
  • healer
  • health
  • selfheal

Usage notes

A separate dialect verb heal, hele, to hide or cover, is from Old English helan, related to hell.[4] The OED also has an old noun heal, health, well-being, and salvation, from about 900,[7] which survived in Scots and Irish dialect.[9]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  7. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  9. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)