Where does “heal” come from?
Heal comes from Middle English helen, from Old English helan, from Proto-Germanic hailijaną and helaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱel-.
heal (English): To make better from a disease, wound, etc.; to...
Definitions
- To make better from a disease, wound, etc.; to...
Ancestry of “heal”, step by step
heal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Hale
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Hale | A place name |
| 2 | Middle English | hālen | — |
| 3 | Old French | haler | to pull, haul; to haul, pull |
| 4 | Dutch | halen | to fetch, to get |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | halen | to drag, fetch, haul; to draw, fetch, haul |
| 6 | Old Dutch | halōn | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | halōn | to fetch, to get, to haul |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | halōną | to call, appoint, summon; to fetch, get |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱelh₁- | to warm up, to be hot; to warm up, be hot |
via Middle English helen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | helen | to cure, heal; to heal, get better; to reform |
| 2 | Old English | helan | to hide, conceal; to calumniate, slander; to... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | helan | to hide, to conceal |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | helaną | to hide, to conceal |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱéleti | to be covering, hiding |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |