whole

== English == === Alternative forms === hole (obsolete) === Etymology === From Middle English whol, hol, hole (“healthy, unhurt, whole”), from Old English hāl (“healthy, safe”), from Proto-West Germanic *hail, from Proto-Germanic *hailaz (“whole, safe, sound”), from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos (“healthy, whole”). The spelling with wh-, attested since ca. 1400, represents an excrescent /w/, which developed in words with initial /(h)ɔː/, /(h)oː/ in southwestern dialects of Middle English. While this pronunciation did not establish itself in the standard language (except in one), the spelling survived in whole and whore, in the former case likely reinforced by a desire to disambiguate from hole. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /həʊl/, [hɜʊ̯ɫ], [hɒʊ̯ɫ], [-.ɫ̩] (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /hoʊl/, [hoʊ̯ɫ], [hoːɫ], [-.ɫ̩] (Early Modern) IPA(key): /hɔːl/, /hwɔːl/ Rhymes: -əʊl Homophone: hole === Adjective === whole (comparative wholer or more whole, superlative wholest or most whole) Entire, undivided. Synonyms: total; see also Thesaurus:entire Used as an intensifier. I brought a whole lot of balloons for the party. She ate a whole bunch of french fries. Sound, uninjured, healthy. Synonyms: hale, well; see also Thesaurus:healthy (of food) From which none of its constituents has been removed. (mining) As yet unworked. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Adverb === whole (comparative more whole, superlative most whole) (colloquial) In entirety; entirely; wholly. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:completely ==== Translations ==== === Noun === whole (plural wholes) Something complete, without any parts missing. Synonyms: entireness, totality; see also Thesaurus:entirety Meronym: part An entirety. ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === “whole”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. All and whole — Linguapress online English grammar === Anagrams === Howle, howel