heal
/hiːl/
verb
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*hailijaną — to make whole
Overview
Meaning Now
- to cause (a wound, injury, or person) to become sound or healthy again
- to become sound or healthy again
- to alleviate or mend a breach in a relationship or emotional state
Literal older meaning
to make whole
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
hǣlan
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The word belongs to a significant Germanic family of words centered on the concept of 'wholeness,' which is also the root of 'whole' itself. In early Germanic thought, health was synonymous with integrity and the state of being unbroken.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*kóylos
“whole, uninjured”
- Proto-Germanic
*hailijaną
“to make whole”
- Old English
hǣlan
“to heal, cure, save”
- Middle English
helen
“to restore to health”
Connections
Word parts
heal
root
whole
Related across languages
German
heilen
to heal
Dutch
helen
to heal
Old Norse
heila
to heal
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Related to heal
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.