wholesome
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
From earlier holesome, from Middle English holsom, holsum, helsum, halsum, from Old English *hālsum, *hǣlsum, from Proto-West Germanic *hailasam, from Proto-Germanic *hailasamaz, equivalent to whole + -some or hale (“healthy”) + -some. Cognate with Saterland Frisian heelsoam, Dutch heilzaam, German Low German heelsaam, German heilsam, Icelandic heilsamur, Norwegian Nynorsk helsesam, Swedish hälsosam (“wholesome”).
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈholsəm/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Adjective
wholesome (comparative more wholesome or wholesomer, superlative most wholesome or wholesomest)
- Promoting good physical health and well-being.
- c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], page 223, column 2:
- I prethee go, and get me ſome repaſt,
I care not what, ſo it be holſome foode.
- Promoting moral and mental well-being.
- Favourable to morals, religion or prosperity; sensible; conducive to good; salutary; promoting virtue or being virtuous.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 15:4, column 1:
- A wholeſome tongue is a tree of life: but peruerſneſſe therein is a breach in the ſpirit.
- Marked by wholeness; sound and healthy.
- Decent; innocuous; sweet.
- 1697, Virgil, “The Fourth Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 128, lines 195–196:
- Sometimes white Lyllies did their Leaves afford,
With wholſom Polly-flow'rs, to mend his homely Board: […]
- 1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Soldier in White”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 171:
- The more solicitous of the two was Nurse Cramer, a shapely, pretty, sexless girl with a wholesome unattractive face.
- 2017 April 13, Mitchy Collins, Samantha Derosa, Christian Medice, “Broken”, in Finding It Hard to Smile, performed by Lovelytheband:
- There's something tragic, but almost pure
Think I could love you, but I'm not sure
There's something wholesome, there's something sweet
Tucked in your eyes that I'd love to meet
- 2019, Gretchen McCulloch, Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language, Riverhead Books, →ISBN:
- Around the same time, “wholesome” memes of cute doggos and puppers rejuvenated social media feeds that seemed daily filled with fresh horrors.
Alternative forms
Synonyms
- (promoting health): healthy, healthful, salubrious
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
promoting good health, and well-being
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favourable to morals, religion or prosperity; sensible; conducive to good; salutary; promoting virtue or being virtuous
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marked by wholeness; sound and healthy
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decent; innocuous; sweet
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References
- “wholesome”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “wholesome”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
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