Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “health” come from?

Health derives from Middle English heleð, from Old English hǣlþ, from Proto-Germanic haliþaz and hailaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European koil- with the suffix -tós.

health (English): The state of being free from physical or...

Definitions

  1. The state of being free from physical or...

Ancestry of “health”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhelþesoundness; health; recovery
2Old Englishhǣlþ—
3Proto-Germanichailiþōwholeness, health
4Proto-Germanichailazwhole, unbroken, intact; entire, complete; hale,...
5Proto-Indo-European*kéh₂ilos—

Words derived from “health”

  • healthy
  • healthcare
  • unhealthy
  • healthily
  • healthiness
  • telehealth
  • unhealthiness
  • unhealthily
  • unhealth
  • healthism
  • healthwise
  • healthsome
  • healthspan
  • healthless
  • superhealthy
  • nonhealthy
  • telehealthcare
  • nonhealthcare
  • healthward
  • prehealth
  • subhealth
  • healthlessness
  • e-health
  • cyberhealth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos →