The word that originally means "wholeness" is "whole," which comes from Old English hal meaning "entire, whole; unhurt, uninjured, safe; healthy, healed, sound; genuine, straightforward." This derives from the Proto-Germanic root haila- meaning "undamaged," and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root kailo- meaning "whole, uninjured, of good omen"
. The noun "wholeness" itself originated in Middle English as holnesse around the mid-14th century, meaning "condition of being unbroken or undamaged," formed from the adjective "whole" plus the suffix -ness which denotes a state or quality
. In summary:
- The root word "whole" originally means "entire, uninjured, sound" from Old English hal.
- "Wholeness" as a noun developed later to express the condition or quality of being whole or complete
Additionally, in Hebrew, the concept of wholeness is closely related to the word shalom , which encompasses peace, completeness, and harmony, further emphasizing the idea of being whole and undivided
