Holsum

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. An obsolete spelling of wholesome, describing something that promotes good health and well-being
2. An old variant of wholesome, used of food, air, or conditions that are healthful and good for the body
3. Archaic form of wholesome, meaning beneficial to health and conducive to a sound, vigorous condition

Etymology: Holsum is an old spelling of "wholesome," and the trail runs back to Old English "hālsum," meaning healthy or salutary. That word was built from "hāl," meaning whole, sound or healthy, plus the suffix "-sum," which created adjectives meaning "having the quality of" (as in "winsome" or "gruesome"). The same root gave English "hale," "heal," and "health," so these words are close relatives. The spelling is where things get tangled. "Hāl" became "whole" in Middle English, and the initial "w" in "whole" was an inherited feature of its spelling rather than a sound. Writers then carried the "wh-" spelling over to "wholesome," which is why the modern word looks like a compound of "whole" even though its meaning comes from the "healthy" sense. "Holsum" preserves the older spelling without that "w," and it is now obsolete outside historical texts.