whole

Whole is a word used to express completeness or integrity. As an adjective, it means entire, full, or undivided, as in “a whole day,” “the whole building,” or “the whole story.” It can also function as a pronoun or determiner to refer to the total amount or entity: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” The adverb form is wholly, meaning completely, as in “The project was wholly successful.”

As a noun, whole can denote the total amount or the entire entity in a given context, for example, “the whole is not yet known” or “the whole of the proceeds.” The concept often contrasts with part, fraction, or portion.

Etymology and related forms: Whole derives from Old English hal, meaning healthy or intact, with the modern spelling developing in Middle English. It is related to other Germanic terms for health and integrity. The words hole and whole are homographs but have different origins and meanings; hole (a hollow space) comes from Old English holh or holen, not from hal.

In mathematics and computing, the term whole is commonly used in the phrase whole numbers, referring to non-negative integers (0, 1, 2, …) in many curricula. Definitions vary by region, with some contexts calling these natural numbers instead. In philosophy and systems theory, wholeness or holism describes a state or approach that emphasizes the interconnectedness and integrity of a system rather than merely summing its parts.

Usage notes: whole emphasizes integrity and completeness of a thing as a single, undivided unit, while complete emphasizes having all necessary parts.