does this scare the language off anyone else?

July 12, 2006

i generally find www.bartleby.com to be a good place t ostart for such things

USAGE NOTE: The distinction in meaning between healthy (“possessing good

health”) and healthful (“conducive to good health”) was ascribed to the two

terms only as late as the 1880s. This distinction, though tenaciously supported

by some critics, is belied by citational evidence—healthy has been used to mean

“healthful” since the 16th century. Use of healthy in this sense is to be found

in the works of many distinguished writers, with this example from John Locke

being typical: “Gardening . . . and working in wood, are fit and healthy

recreations for a man of study or business.” Therefore, both healthy and

healthful are correct in these contexts: a healthy climate, a healthful climate;

a healthful diet, a healthy diet.

>earthstrm <earthstorm

>Jul 12, 2006 8:16 AM

>

> Re: does this scare the pants off anyone else?

>

>If only there were a place to go to in order to find out when and

>how words were created.

>

Defending this corruption on which you are sat

You tell me what to think, you tell me this and that

`Freedom is O.K. you scum` but make sure it`s never used

In your defence of liberty I always stand accused

July 12, 2006

Hi Fraggle

Ironically, from what I could find, the word healthy actually seems to have

first been used to refer to that which is conducive to good health, rather

than possessing good health. Although I did find a similar article to the

one you've cited (some sentences word for word), it didn't make any

reference to the 1880s. Also, interestingly, in my 1987 version of

Merriam-Webster, the word " healthful " doesn't appear at all....

I wish I had more time to look into this, as I'm a little intrigued as to

how common the word has been in the past, as it seems to have popped up in

the 1880s according to bartleby, then disappeared again in US based

dictionaries by the mid 1960s, and re-appeared in the 1990s. FWIW, I

couldn't find it in any UK / GB based dictionaries at all even from the

1880s.

BB