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Dictionary / health

health

/ˈhɛlθ/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)/ˈhelθ/ (Australia, New-Zealand)syllables: health
  • noun
  • from Old English

The state of being free from physical or psychological disease, illness, or malfunction; wellness.

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1 All current definitions

Every sense of “health” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.

noun · etymology 1

  1. uncountableusuallyThe state of being free from physical or psychological disease, illness, or malfunction; wellness.

    Her mental health is really affected by stressful environments.

  2. uncountableusuallyA state of well-being or balance, often physical but sometimes also mental and social; the overall level of function of an organism from the cellular (micro) level to the social (macro) level.

    The directors are concerned about the financial health of the project.

  3. uncountableusuallyPhysical condition.
  4. countableusuallyA toast to prosperity.

    Strikingly, however, Waller does not deny but rather revels in the claim that healths lead to excessive drinking2002, Joshua Scodel, Excess and the Mean in Early Modern English Literature, page 213:

  5. uncountableusuallyThe amount of damage an in-game entity can withstand before it is killed, destroyed or defeated.

    The enemies on this level have a lot of health.

Older & obsolete senses (1)
  1. obsoleteuncountableusuallyCure, remedy.
Wiktionary: “health” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

noun · etymology 2

No current senses for this part of speech — see older senses.

Older & obsolete senses (1)
  1. obsoleteA warrior; hero; man.
Wiktionary: “health” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cross-check: WordNet senses (2)
  1. nouna healthy state of wellbeing free from disease — also: wellness
  2. nounthe general condition of body and mind
Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License

2 History of the word

The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.

Etymology 1 (noun)

The word’s journey, newest to oldest:

  1. English (today)health
  2. Middle Englishhelthe
  3. Old Englishhǣlþ
  4. Proto-West Germanic*hailiþu
  5. Proto-Germanic*hailiþō
  6. Proto-Germanic*hailaz + *-iþō

Inherited from Middle English helthe, from Old English hǣlþ, from Proto-West Germanic *hailiþu, from Proto-Germanic *hailiþō, from *hailaz + *-iþō. Cognate with Old High German heilida. Analyzable as whole, hale, or heal + -th (abstract nominal suffix). More at heal. Doublet of wholth.

Wiktionary: “health” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Etymology 2 (noun)

The word’s journey, newest to oldest:

  1. English (today)health
  2. Middle Englishheleð “man, hero, fighter”
  3. Old Englishhæleþ “man, hero, fighter”
  4. Proto-West Germanic*haliþ
  5. Proto-Germanic*haliþaz “man, hero”

From Middle English heleð (“man, hero, fighter”), from Old English hæleþ (“man, hero, fighter”), from Proto-West Germanic *haliþ, from Proto-Germanic *haliþaz (“man, hero”). Cognate with West Frisian held (“hero”), Dutch held (“hero”), German Held (“hero”), Norwegian Nynorsk hauld (“freeman”).

Wiktionary: “health” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Derivatives — words built from “health”

cyberhealtheHealthe-healthhealthbarhealthcarehealth-carehealth-conscioushealthenhealthfulhealthiehealthificationhealthifyhealthinesshealthismhealthisthealthlesshealthlikehealthscapehealthsomehealthspanhealthwardhealthwisehealthyill-healthprehealthsubhealthtelehealthunhealth

Phrases & compounds

allied healthbill of healthdigital healthhealth activationhealth and fitness agehealth and safetyhealth barhealth behaviorhealth behaviourhealth cagehealth carehealth centerhealth centrehealth clubhealth codehealth educationhealth farmhealth faucethealth foodhealth fund

Related terms

heal
Wiktionary: “health” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Want to go deeper? See also “health” on Etymonline ↗

3 Original language

Where “health” came from before it was English.

Etymology 1 (noun)

Native English word, from
Old English
Old English hǣlþ
Deepest root (reconstructed)
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic *hailaz + *-iþō

Etymology 2 (noun)

Native English word, from
Old English
Old English hæleþ “man, hero, fighter”
Deepest root (reconstructed)
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic *haliþaz “man, hero”
Wiktionary: “health” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

4 Original meaning

What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.

Wiktionary’s etymology does not give a separate meaning for the earliest form of “health”, so we don’t state one. The historical dictionary entry below shows how the word was understood in 1913.

Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913

A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.

health n. [OE. helthe, AS. h, fr. h hale, sound, whole. See Whole.]

  1. The state of being hale, sound, or whole, in body, mind, or soul; especially, the state of being free from physical disease or pain.
  2. A wish of health and happiness, as in pledging a person in a toast.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), public domain, via GCIDE

5 Use it with confidence

Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.

nounMeaning: The state of being free from physical or psychological disease, illness, or malfunction; wellness.

Her mental health is really affected by stressful environments.

My grampa still enjoys very good health.

nounMeaning: A state of well-being or balance, often physical but sometimes also mental and social; the overall level of function of an organism from the cellular (micro) level to the social (macro) level.

The directors are concerned about the financial health of the project.

nounMeaning: A toast to prosperity.

Strikingly, however, Waller does not deny but rather revels in the claim that healths lead to excessive drinking2002, Joshua Scodel, Excess and the Mean in Early Modern English Literature, page 213:

nounMeaning: The amount of damage an in-game entity can withstand before it is killed, destroyed or defeated.

The enemies on this level have a lot of health.

Lose a little health and there's a few seconds in which you'll be able to win it back by ragging on an enemy.2018 March 6, Martin Robinson, “Dispelling the myths of Bloodborne”, in Eurogamer, archived from the original on 10 Mar 2026:

nounMeaning: a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease

physicians should be held responsible for the health of their patients

nounMeaning: the general condition of body and mind

his delicate health

in poor health

Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License
Wiktionary: “health” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Three steps to owning it

  1. Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
  2. Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
  3. Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?

6 The mastery game

Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.

Step 1 of 9

Say it, then spell it

health

/ˈhɛlθ/ · health

Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.

Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________

health

/ˈhɛlθ/ · health · noun

Step 1 — Say it and write it

Say “health” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.

Step 2 — Know every meaning

Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.

1. (noun) The state of being free from physical or psychological disease, illness, or malfunction; wellness.
2. (noun) A state of well-being or balance, often physical but sometimes also mental and social; the overall level of function of an organism from the cellular (micro) level to the social (macro) level.
3. (noun) Physical condition.
4. (noun) A toast to prosperity.
5. (noun) The amount of damage an in-game entity can withstand before it is killed, destroyed or defeated.

Step 3 — Which meaning is it?

“Her mental health is really affected by stressful environments.”

A. A toast to prosperity.
B. The amount of damage an in-game entity can withstand before it is killed, destroyed or defeated.
C. The state of being free from physical or psychological disease, illness, or malfunction; wellness.

Circle the meaning used.

“The directors are concerned about the financial health of the project.”

A. A state of well-being or balance, often physical but sometimes also mental and social; the overall level of function of an organism from the cellular (micro) level to the social (macro) level.
B. The amount of damage an in-game entity can withstand before it is killed, destroyed or defeated.
C. A toast to prosperity.

Circle the meaning used.

“The enemies on this level have a lot of health.”

A. The amount of damage an in-game entity can withstand before it is killed, destroyed or defeated.
B. A toast to prosperity.
C. The state of being free from physical or psychological disease, illness, or malfunction; wellness.

Circle the meaning used.

Step 4 — History and origin

Which language did “health” come into English from?   A. Middle French  B. Latin  C. Old English  D. Late Latin

Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):

Write three words built from “health” and what each means:

Step 5 — Original meaning

Read the etymology on the page. What does it tell you about the word’s earlier meaning?

How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?

Step 6 — Use it yourself

Write a sentence using “health” to mean: The state of being free from physical or psychological disease, illness, or malfunction; wellness.
Write a sentence using “health” to mean: A state of well-being or balance, often physical but sometimes also mental and social; the overall level of function of an organism from the cellular (micro) level to the social (macro) level.
Write a sentence using “health” to mean: Physical condition.

☐ I can explain its meanings   ☐ I know its history   ☐ I know its original language   ☐ I know its original meaning   ☐ I can use it confidently

Answer key — health

Which meaning, sentence 1: C. The state of being free from physical or psychological disease, illness, or malfunction; wellness.

Which meaning, sentence 2: A. A state of well-being or balance, often physical but sometimes also mental and social; the overall level of function of an organism from the cellular (micro) level to the social (macro) level.

Which meaning, sentence 3: A. The amount of damage an in-game entity can withstand before it is killed, destroyed or defeated.

Origin: C. Old English (Old English hǣlþ)

Journey: English health ← Middle English helthe ← Old English hǣlþ ← Proto-West Germanic *hailiþu ← Proto-Germanic *hailiþō ← Proto-Germanic *hailaz + *-iþō

Some derivatives: cyberhealth, eHealth, e-health, healthbar, healthcare, health-care, health-conscious, healthen

Etymology: Inherited from Middle English helthe, from Old English hǣlþ, from Proto-West Germanic *hailiþu, from Proto-Germanic *hailiþō, from *hailaz + *-iþō. Cognate with Old High German heilida. Analyzable as whole, hale, or heal + -th (abstract nominal suffix). More at heal. Doublet of wholth.

Sources: Wiktionary “health” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/health#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/health