Etymology: Old English hǽlu , hǽlo , hǽl , corresponding to Old Saxon hêli (Middle Dutch heile ), Old High German heilî , hailî , hêlî (Middle High German heile ), Gothic *hailei , -ein , < hail-s , Old English hál adjective hale n.², whole adj.; one of the abstract feminines in West Germanic -î , from earlier -în , which in Old English changed this ending to -u . Compare the doublets hail n.² and adv., hale n.²

Etymology: Apparently originally < the same Germanic base as whole adj., with i-mutation caused by a j-suffix; compare Old High German -heili in gangheili capable of walking (Middle High German gancheil). In later use (already in Old English) probably partly also an alteration of whole adj. after heal n. and heal v.¹In quot. c1275 at sense 1 possibly intended as a spelling of whole adj. (compare the form hal at that entry), as æ and a are not always clearly distinguished in this source. In northern late Middle English sources (compare quots. ?a1425 at sense 2, a1450 at sense 1) perhaps showing a form of hale adj. Compare gamma forms at γ. forms at hale adj., n.⁴, and adv., which may partly show later use of this word in Scots (see discussion at that entry). In Old English the prefixed form gehǣl in good condition, unharmed, is also attested (compare y- prefix, and also yhole adj.), which survives into early Middle English.

Etymology: A Common Germanic verb: Old English hǽlan = Old Frisian hêla , Old Saxon hêlian (Middle Dutch hêlen , heilen , Dutch heelen , Low German helen ), Old High German heilan (German heilen ), Old Norse heil (Swedish hela , Danish hele ), Gothic hailjan , derivative of hail-s , Old Germanic *hailo-z , Old Saxon hál , hale n.², whole adj., n., and adv.