hospice
Americannoun
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a house of shelter or rest for pilgrims, strangers, etc., especially one kept by a religious order.
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Medicine/Medical.
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a healthcare facility for the terminally ill that emphasizes pain control and emotional support for the patient and family, typically refraining from taking extraordinary measures to prolong life.
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a similar program of care and support for the terminally ill at home or in a nursing home.
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noun
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a nursing home that specializes in caring for the terminally ill
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Also called: hospitium. archaic a place of shelter for travellers, esp one kept by a monastic order
Etymology
Origin of hospice
First recorded in 1810–20; from French, from Latin hospitium “hospitable reception, entertainment”; see hospitium
Explanation
If someone has entered into a hospice, his health outlook is likely grim. Hospice care is a program designed to make the process of dying as comfortable as possible for patients and their families. The word hospice comes from the Latin hospitum, meaning "guest house, hospitality." Hospice traditionally meant lodging for travelers, often run by a religious order like a church or monastery. While we most commonly see the word hospice used to describe the particular care provided to people who are dying, the term is not strictly limited to this. A hospice can also be a place that takes care of the sick, not necessarily only the terminally ill.
Vocabulary lists containing hospice
National Nurses Week: Hospital People and Places
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The Fault in Our Stars
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Front Desk
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But for Icelanders, whose connection to glaciers is ancient and mythic, our human epoch has become an extended hospice for the landscape of their lives.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
My father is 91 and currently in hospice care.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
The hospice also supports families once a child or young person has died.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
That means for every dollar a state recovers by hunting down a fraudulent home health agency or a phantom hospice, less than 35 cents return to the state treasury.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Those who contracted MDR were left to die—as humanely as possible, because the foundation provided money for hospice care—but why, Farmer wondered, couldn’t some money be allocated to MDR?
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
