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hale¹

(hāl)

adj. hal·er, hal·est

Free from infirmity or illness; sound. See Synonyms at healthy.

[Middle English, from Old English hāl; see kailo- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

haleness n.

hale²

(hāl)

tr.v. haled, hal·ing, hales

1. To compel to go: "In short order the human rights campaign was haled before a high court of indignation" (Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.)

2. Archaic To pull, draw, drag, or hoist.

[Middle English halen, to pull, drag, from Old French haler, of Germanic origin; see kelə-² in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell 1788-1879.

American writer and editor of Godey's Lady's Book (1837-1877), the most popular American women's magazine of its time. Her own works include the poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb" (1830).

Hale, Nathan 1755-1776.

American Revolutionary soldier hanged by the British as a spy. According to tradition, his last words were "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."

Hale, George Ellery 1868-1938.

American astronomer who invented the spectroheliograph (1891) and was instrumental in the establishment of several observatories. He directed the Mount Wilson Observatory from 1904 to 1923.

Hale

(hāl), Edward Everett 1822-1909.

American Unitarian cleric and writer whose more than 150 literary works include the story "The Man Without a Country" (1863). His sister Lucretia Peabody Hale (1820-1900) wrote two noted children's books, The Peterkin Papers (1880) and The Last of the Peterkins (1886).

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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