Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hale” come from?

Hale comes from Middle English hele, from Old English hēla, from Middle Dutch halen, from Middle French -ie, from Latin oleum meaning oil.

hale (English): Health, welfare; Sound, entire, healthy; robust,...

Definitions

  1. Health, welfare; Sound, entire, healthy; robust,...

Ancestry of “hale”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhæle—
2Old Englishhǣluhealth, safety
3Proto-Germanichailį̄salvation, health
4Proto-Germanichailazwhole, unbroken, intact; entire, complete; hale,...
5Proto-Indo-European*kéh₂ilos—

Words derived from “hale”

  • halesome
  • haler
  • haleness
  • hallier
  • unhale
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos →