hale

Where does the word "hale" come from? It comes from Old Norse heill, passing through Middle English before entering English (1500s).

Hale’s story begins in Old Norse: heill meant “whole, healthy.” Healthy, whole; the same word as Old English 'hāl', which became 'whole'. By 1200s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as hail / hale. The northern, Norse-coloured form of 'whole'. It reached English by 1500s as hale. Survives mostly in 'hale and hearty'. Today, hale means strong and healthy, especially of an old person.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval heill "whole, healthy", healthy, whole; the same word as Old English 'hāl', which became 'whole'.
2. Stage 2 · Middle English · 1200s hail / hale "healthy", the northern, Norse-coloured form of 'whole'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s hale "healthy", survives mostly in 'hale and hearty'.