Definition of sane

The word "sane" has its roots in Old French, where it was spelled "sain" or "sane". This Old French word is derived from the Latin "sanus", meaning "healthy" or "wholesome". In Latin, "sanus" was also used to describe being free from mental or spiritual disturbance, and it was this sense of the word that was carried over into Middle English as "sane". During the 14th century, "sane" began to be used to describe a person whose mind was unaffected by madness or insanity, and it has retained this meaning in Modern English. So, in essence, the word "sane" originally referred to physical health, but its meaning evolved to encompass mental well-being and the absence of mental illness.