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REFERENCE

heal

v. · n.
US //ˈhiɫ// UK //hˈiːl// heal
  1. 1 to become healthy again (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to get better after being hurt or sick.

    to become sound or healthy again; used intransitively to describe the natural recovery process of a wound or body part.

    Example

    The doctor said the broken bone would take about six weeks to heal.

    Example

    Although the superficial cuts closed quickly, the deep bruising took several months to heal completely.

    Usage

    Often used without an object when referring to the body's natural process.
  2. 2 to cure someone (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Medicine

    to make someone healthy again or to fix a wound.

    to cause a wound, injury, or person to become healthy again. Transitive use implies an external agent or treatment.

    Example

    The new cream helped to heal the skin infection very quickly.

    Example

    Ancient civilisations used various herbs and rituals in an attempt to heal the sick and wounded after battle.

    Usage

    Takes a direct object, such as the patient or the specific injury.
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  1. 3 to fix a relationship or feeling (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to make a bad situation or a broken relationship better.

    to reconcile a breach or difference; to restore emotional or social wholeness.

    Example

    It took many years for the two families to heal their relationship after the argument.

    Example

    The peace talks were designed to heal the divisions that had torn the country apart for decades.

    Usage

    Commonly used with abstract nouns like 'rift', 'division', or 'wound'.
  2. 4 gaming/magic (n.)
    C1 Advanced Slang Computing

    in games, a spell or power that gives a character more health.

    a specific action, spell, or ability in a game context that restores a character's health points.

    Example

    The team survived the boss fight because the priest provided a quick heal.

    Example

    The player's strategy relied on a constant cycle of shields and heals to mitigate the boss's high damage output.

    Teacher's tip

    This is specific to gaming culture; in standard English, 'healing' is the preferred noun form.
Etymology 1

From Middle English helen, from Old English hǣlan (“to heal, cure, save, greet, salute”), from Proto-West Germanic hailijan, from Proto-Germanic hailijaną (“to heal, make whole, save”), from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos (“healthy, whole”). Derived from the adjective at hand in whole. Cognates Cognate with Scots hale, hail (“to heal”), Saterland Frisian heila, heilen (“to heal”), West Frisian hielje, Dutch helen (“to heal”), German heilen (“to heal”), Danish hele, Swedish hela (“to heal”), and further Russian цели́ть (celítʹ, “to heal”), Polish calić (“to save”), Czech celit (“to heal”), Serbo-Croatian céliti (“to heal”).

Etymology 2

See hele.

Word family
Idioms1 entry

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