sanatorium
Americannoun
plural
sanatoriums, sanatoria-
a hospital for the treatment of chronic diseases, as tuberculosis or various nervous or mental disorders.
noun
-
an institution for the medical care and recuperation of persons who are chronically ill
-
a health resort
-
a room in a boarding school where sick pupils may be treated in isolation
Etymology
Origin of sanatorium
1830–40; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin sanā ( re ) to heal + -tōrium -tory 2
Explanation
A sanatorium is a place to go when you're suffering or recuperating from a long illness. It was once common for tuberculosis patients to be treated at a sanatorium. In some parts of the world, including Russia and the Czech Republic, a sanatorium is more of a health spa, with the added benefit of available medical treatments. While there are very few sanatoriums left in North America, they were once the preferred location for chronically ill patients, especially before antibiotics for treating tuberculosis were developed in the mid-20th century. The Latin sanus, "well, healthy, or sane," is the root of sanatorium.
Vocabulary lists containing sanatorium
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.
The Hong Kong-based, Singaporean-born Lam died at the Hong Kong Sanatorium Hospital with family and friends by his side, a post on his Weibo account on Friday read.
From BBC • Jun. 27, 2025
In August 1937, Don’s parents sent him to a state-run children’s facility in a Mississippi town called Sanatorium.
From New York Times • Jun. 18, 2023
The report asserts that Ukrainian children were taken to the Belarusian Golden SandsSanatorium in the Gomel region and the Ostroshitsky Gorodok Sanatorium and Dubrava camp in the Minsk region.
From Reuters • May 23, 2023
The influence of these principles on architectural modernism crystallized in Alvar Aalto’s Paimio Sanatorium in Finland, built in 1933.
From Slate • Apr. 19, 2020
She languished in the Tucker Sanatorium for three months before being transferred to Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
