I. ˈhär]d.ē, ˈhȧ], ]tē, -i\ adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English herty, from hert heart + -y
1.
a. : giving unqualified support : unreservedly loyal : thoroughgoing , enthusiastic
a hearty Federalist — F.J.Klingberg
a hearty assumer of its full share of … responsibilities — F.S.C.Northrop
my hearty concurrence in everything you've done — T.B.Costain
b.
(1) : exuberantly or unreservedly cordial or genial : not reserved or ceremonious in manner : jovial
had a bluff and hearty bearing, but he was a rogue — Ross Annett
being a shade too hearty about it — Angus Mowat
a wonderful hearty manner with a boy — G.D.Brown
(2) : giving exuberant or unrestrained expression to one's feelings
a hearty burst of laughter greeted his arrival
a string of hearty curses
(3) : approving
no one but a Chancery lawyer had a hearty word for the Chancery — F.W.Maitland
some colleagues are distinctly less hearty about the General — Hal Lehrman
2.
a. : exhibiting vigorous good health
the mate was as hearty as a young lion — Herman Melville
is my friend hearty , now I am thin and pine — A.E.Housman
b.
(1) : having a good appetite : consuming abundantly or with gusto
a hearty eater
a hearty drinker
(2) : abundant , ample
ate a hearty meal
took a hearty swig
c.
(1) : richly nutritious
almost a meal in itself, with 15 tender vegetables in hearty beef stock — Better Homes & Gardens
(2) : flavorful , full-bodied
has a hearty flavor that is much livelier than our refined … variety — Silas Spitzer
a hearty wine with a full bouquet
3. : vigorous or violent in manner or degree : vehement
the breeze … was heartier … than before — Llewellyn Howland
hooked a root and gave a hearty pull — C.S.Forester
then came the rain in a hearty flood — John Muir †1914
the wind had combed up some quite hearty waves — R.A.W.Hughes
without any provocation at all give him a hearty kick — H.A.Chippendale
4. chiefly Britain : capable of bearing crops : fertile
thistles so growing … signifieth the land to be hearty — Thomas Tusser
Synonyms: see sincere
II. noun
( -es )
1.
a. : a bold brave fellow : comrade — used especially in addressing sailors
heave-ho, my hearties
b. : sailor
the albatross mocked by the hearties — Stephen Spender
2. chiefly Britain : an individual of exuberant outgoing disposition or of athletic nonaesthetic tastes
a Matisse reproduction could cause one's rooms to be wrecked … by rugger hearties — Jocelyn Brooke