healthsome

English

Etymology

health +‎ -some

Adjective

healthsome (comparative more healthsome, superlative most healthsome)

1. (archaic) Conducive to good health.
   • 1544, Peter Betham (translator), The Preceptes of Warre by Jacopo di Porcia, London, Book 1, Section 192 “To kepe thyne armye healthfull,”^[1]

     The health of thyne Armye is mayntayned by exercyse, by healthsome countrie and swete ayers: but chefelye where is plentye and abundaunce of vytayles.

   • c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:

     Shall I not, then, be stifled in the vault,
     To whose foul mouth no healthsome air breathes in,

   • 1886, George Gissing, chapter 2, in Demos‎^[2], volume 2, London: Smith, Elder & Co., page 54:

     A breeze from the north-west chased the blood to healthsome leaping, and caught the breath like an unexpected kiss.

   • 1894, Revised Version of the Bible, The Wisdom of Solomon 1:14,^[3]

     For he created all things that they might have being:

     And the generative powers of the world are healthsome,

     And there is no poison of destruction in them:

     Nor hath Hades royal dominion upon earth,

   • 1982, Roald Dahl, “The Bloodbottler”, in The BFG‎^[4], Puffin, published 2013:

     ‘It is not healthsome always to be eating meaty things.’

Synonyms

• salubrious
• wholesome