hospice

American  

[hos-pis] / ˈhɒs pɪs /

noun

• hospices
  plural

1. a house of shelter or rest for pilgrims, strangers, etc., especially one kept by a religious order.

2. Medicine/Medical.

   1. 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.

   2. a similar program of care and support for the terminally ill at home or in a nursing home.

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hospice British  

/ ˈhɒspɪs /

noun

1. a nursing home that specializes in caring for the terminally ill

2. Also called: hospitium. archaic a place of shelter for travellers, esp one kept by a monastic order

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hospices
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hospice hospices

The post was spotted by Kerry Saunders, from Ashington, who offered to bring two Shetland ponies to the hospice.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

Does she need the money for medical bills, nursing-home care or hospice care?

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

The antifraud team has turned up sundry examples of phony hospice providers billing for services that aren’t rendered and enrolling patients without their knowledge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Beard was in hospice care when he passed away at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, with family members at his side, band representative Bob Merlis said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

Many staff thought it was time to call in hospice care for the man, but Farmer insisted cheerily, “He’s going to walk out of here.”

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

In 2024, for example, low-visit hospices delivered a total of 2.5 visits per patient per week on average, compared with a total of 5.5 visits per week on average for high-visit hospices, the GAO found.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

He caveated his support as being for the principle of assisted dying and insisted he would want a requirement before any new law was implemented that hospices would be "properly funded and sorted out".

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Chemed, which owns Roto-Rooter and a chain of end-of-life hospices, gave its CEO $121,502 in tickets for Cincinnati Bengals games and other sports events.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

CMS also imposed a six-month nationwide freeze External link on new Medicare enrollments for hospices and home health agencies starting mid-May.

From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026

This corporation was in existence after 1789, but the hospitals and hospices had obtained the right of furnishing hangings for funeral ceremonies, and a decree of the year XII transferred it to churches and consistories.

From Paris From the Earliest Period to the Present Day; Volume 2 by William Walton

Related Words

• clinic
• emergency room
• health service
• infirmary
• nursing home
• sanitarium
• shelter
• ward