Advertisement

healthy (adj.)

1550s, "being in a sound state;" also "conducive to health," from health + -y (2). Earlier in the same sense was healthsome (1530s). Related: Healthily; healthiness.

It is wrong to say that certain articles of food are healthy or unhealthy. Wholesome and unwholesome are the right words. A pig may be healthy or unhealthy while alive; but after he is killed and becomes pork, he can enjoy no health, and suffer no sickness. [Eliza Leslie, "Miss Leslie's Behaviour Book," Philadelphia, 1839]

Healthsome is from 1530s in the sense "bestowing health."

Others are reading

Advertisement
Definitions of healthy from WordNet

healthy (adj.)
promoting health; healthful; "the salubrious mountain air and water"- C.B.Davis;
clean healthy air
healthy and normal outlets for youthful energy
plenty of healthy sleep
a healthy diet
Synonyms: salubrious / good for you
healthy (adj.)
having or indicating good health in body or mind; free from infirmity or disease;
staying fit and healthy
a rosy healthy baby
healthy (adj.)
financially secure and functioning well;
a healthy economy
healthy (adj.)
exercising or showing good judgment;
healthy scepticism
a healthy fear of rattlesnakes
the healthy attitude of French laws
healthy relations between labor and management
Synonyms: intelligent / levelheaded / level-headed / sound
healthy (adj.)
large in amount or extent or degree;
Synonyms: goodly / goodish / hefty / respectable / sizable / sizeable / tidy
From wordnet.princeton.edu