Word of the Day
: June 13, 2026hale
playWhat It Means
Someone described as hale is in good and often exceptional health. Hale is commonly used in the phrase "hale and hearty."
// Their mother remains hale and hearty in her old age.
hale in Context
"Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell star [in the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes] as two vivacious all-American showgirls whose friendship is as fast as their attitudes to men are poles apart. Whereas Monroe's Lorelei Lee prizes wealth and devotion in a suitor, Russell's Dorothy Shaw is more inclined towards the hale and hunky ..." — Robbie Collin, The Telegraph (United Kingdom), 2 May 2026
Did You Know?
English has two hale homographs: the adjective that is frequently paired with hearty to describe those healthy and strong, and the somewhat uncommon verb that has to do with literal or figurative hauling or pulling. (One can hale a boat onto shore, or hale a person into a courtroom with the aid of legal ramifications for resistance.) The verb comes from the Middle English halen (also the root of our word haul), but the adjective has a bifurcated origin, with two Middle English terms identified as sources: hale and hail. Both of those come from words meaning "healthy," the former from the Old English hāl, and the latter from the Old Norse heill. The Middle English hail is also the source of the three modern English words spelled as hail, the verb, interjection, and noun that have to do with greeting.
Test Your Vocabulary with M-W Quizzes
Test Your Vocabulary
What word for a hot alcoholic drink that is traditionally served in a large bowl especially at Christmastime shares an ancestor with hale?
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