hale

¹

[ heyl ]

adjective

, hal·er, hal·est.

1. free from disease or infirmity; robust; vigorous:

   hale and hearty men in the prime of life.

   Synonyms: healthy, sound

   Antonyms: sickly

hale

²

[ heyl ]

verb (used with object)

, haled, hal·ing.

1. to compel (someone) to go:

   to hale a man into court.

2. to haul; pull.

hale

³

[ hah-ley ]

noun

1. (in Hawaii) a simple thatched-roof dwelling.

Hale

⁴

[ heyl ]

noun

1. Edward Everett, 1822–1909, U.S. clergyman and author.
2. George El·ler·y [el, -, uh, -ree], 1868–1938, U.S. astronomer.
3. Sir Matthew, 1609–76, British jurist: Lord Chief Justice 1671–76.
4. Nathan, 1755–76, American soldier hanged as a spy by the British during the American Revolution.
5. Sarah Jo·se·pha [joh-, see, -f, uh], 1788–1879, U.S. editor and author.

Hale

¹

/ heɪl /

noun

1. HaleGeorge Ellery18681938MUSSCIENCE: astronomer George Ellery. 1868–1938, US astronomer: undertook research into sunspots and invented the spectroheliograph
2. HaleSir Matthew16091676MEnglishLAW: judgeMISC: scholar Sir Matthew. 1609–76, English judge and scholar; Lord Chief Justice (1671–76)

hale

²

/ heɪl /

verb

1. tr to pull or drag; haul

hale

³

/ heɪl /

adjective

1. healthy and robust (esp in the phrase hale and hearty )
2. dialect.
   whole

Derived Forms

• ˈhaler, noun
• ˈhaleness, noun

Other Words From

• haleness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hale¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English (northern and Scottish); Old English hāl “sound, uninjured”; whole, heal ( def )

Origin of hale²

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English hal(l)en, hailen “to drag, pull,” from Old French haler, from Germanic; compare Dutch halen “to pull, fetch”; akin to Old English geholian “to get, obtain,” German holen “to fetch”; haul

Origin of hale³

First recorded in 1885–90; from Hawaiian; literally, “house, hall, building”

Word History and Origins

Origin of hale¹

C13: from Old French haler, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German halōn to fetch, Old English geholian to acquire

Origin of hale²

Old English hæl whole

Example Sentences

He has gone to lengths to appear hale, skiing with a professional snowboarder and with an Olympic gold medalist who called him a “ripper” as they raced down the mountain.

From New York Times

During the 1918–19 flu pandemic, however, doctors and other observers noted a high death toll among young, presumably hale adults.

From Science Magazine

Keep that in mind when taking the pulse of broadcast and cable in its current state, which is far from hale and hearty.

From Salon

“Unsurprisingly, corporations did not relish the prospect of being haled into court for any claim anywhere they conducted business,” he wrote.

From New York Times

Gaining any new clarity about surging reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP, will take time, better data gathering and diagnostic tools and, perhaps most importantly, a hale and hearty dose of nit-picking scientific scrutiny.

From Scientific American