healing

Pluralhealings (some meanings)

1. 1
   noununcountable

   The process by which cells in the body regenerate and repair damaged tissue.

   Healing of the fractured bone took several months of careful rest.

   Doctors monitored the wound's healing closely in the days after surgery.

   Similarrecovery, repair

   Note

   The oldest layer of the word goes back to Old English hǣling, built on the Germanic verb behind heal, with close kin in Dutch heling and German Heilung. It works as a mass noun for the process in general (healing takes time) and as a count noun for one course of it, usually followed by of: the healing of a wound, the healing of a fractured bone.

2. 2
   verb

   Present participle of heal.

   The deep wound was healing faster than the doctors expected.

   Slowly healing, the burn no longer caused her any pain.

   Note

   The -ing form serves as both participle and gerund, and it covers both sides of heal. In the wound is healing, the wound gets better on its own. In healing the sick, someone makes others better. Used figuratively, it mends breaches, as in healing a rift. The gerund shades into the noun for bodily repair. A direct object after it, as in healing the wound, marks the verb.

3. 3
   noununcountable

   The mental and emotional process of working through painful or difficult problems.

   Like calm returning to the surface of a pond after the ripples die down.

   Healing from grief is rarely a straight, predictable path.

   Therapy finally gave him the space he needed for real healing.

   Similarrecovery

4. 4
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A cure brought about by spiritual or religious means, as performed by a faith healer.

   Crowds gathered at the revival tent seeking healing.

   He claimed that faith alone could bring about healing.

   Similarcure

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