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
- Health, welfare; Sound, entire, healthy; robust,...
Ancestry of “hale”, step by step
hale traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English hæle
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hæle | — |
| 2 | Old English | hǣlu | health, safety |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hailį̄ | salvation, health |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hailaz | whole, unbroken, intact; entire, complete; hale,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | *kéh₂ilos | healthy |
via Middle English hele
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hele | Alternative form of ele |
| 2 | Old English | hēla | heel |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *hą̄hilō | heel |