healful

English

Etymology

From Middle English heeleful, heleful, equivalent to heal (“health, well-being”) +‎ -ful. Compare healless.

Adjective

healful (comparative more healful, superlative most healful)

  1. Tending or serving to heal; health-promoting; healing.
    healful remedies
    • 2008, Bernardo N. De Luca, Mind-Body and Relaxation Research Focus
      As for psychogenic death, this will be the case when three supplementary, in this case, healful conditions are fulfilled: […]
  2. Full of health or safety; healthy; whole; sound; safe.
    • 1892, Scottish History Society, Publications of the Scottish History Society
      […] I believe my Father catched [sic] cold on his journey, tho' he was otherways a very strong healful man, for on his return to Pennicuik a boile broke out between his shoulders, which in a very few days turn'd to a Mortification.
    • 1913, Samuel Gompers, John McBride, William Green, The American federationist
      The public conscience demands that they work under healful conditions, with ample light, without overspceding, and with the same provisions for their safety at their work that the employer would desire for himself were he so employed.
    • 1957, Ray C. Petry, Late medieval mysticism
      And, therefore, what is more healful than the sweetness of this sight, or what softer thing may be felt?
  3. Affording health or salvation.
    • 1844, John Foxe, George Townsend, The acts and monuments of John Foxe
      […] since Christ will not fail to minister, himself, all lawful and healful sacraments, and necessary at all time, and especially at the end, […]

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for healful in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.)

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