different between healthy vs healful

English

Etymology

From health +? -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?h?l.?i/
• Rhymes: -?l?i

Adjective

healthy (comparative healthier or more healthy, superlative healthiest or most healthy)

1. Enjoying health and vigor of body, mind, or spirit: well.

   Antonym: unhealthy
2. Conducive to health.

   Synonym: healthful

   Antonym: unhealthy
3. Evincing health.
4. (figuratively) Significant, hefty; beneficial.

Usage notes

When a clearer distinction is intended, healthy is used to describe the state of the object, and healthful describes its ability to impart health to the recipient. Vegetables in good condition are both healthy (i.e., not rotten or diseased) and healthful (i.e., they improve the eaters' health, compared to eating junk food). By contrast, a poisonous plant can be healthy, but it is not healthful to eat it.

Derived terms

Related terms

• heal
• healing
• whole

Translations

Further reading

• healthy in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• healthy in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

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.
   • 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, […]