hospital
[ hos-pi-tl ]
/ ˈhɒs pɪ tl /
noun
an institution in which sick or injured persons are given medical or surgical treatment.
a similar establishment for the care of animals.
a repair shop for specific portable objects: violin hospital; doll hospital.
British. an institution supported by charity or taxes for the care of the needy, as an orphanage or old people's home.
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
hosiery, hosing, hosp., hospice, hospitable, hospital, hospital bed, hospital corner, hospital formulary, hospital gangrene, hospital light
Origin of hospital
Related formsmin·i·hos·pi·tal, nounmul·ti·hos·pi·tal, adjectivepost·hos·pi·tal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for hospital
British Dictionary definitions for hospital
hospital
/ (ˈhɒspɪtəl) /
noun
an institution for the medical, surgical, obstetric, or psychiatric care and treatment of patients
(modifier) having the function of a hospitala hospital ship
a repair shop for something specifieda dolls' hospital
archaic a charitable home, hospice, or school
Word Origin for hospital
C13: from Medieval Latin hospitāle hospice, from Latin hospitālis relating to a guest, from hospes, hospit- guest, host 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for hospital
hospital
mid-13c., "shelter for the needy," from Old French hospital, ospital "hostel" (Modern French hôpital), from Late Latin hospitale "guest-house, inn," neuter of Latin adjective hospitalis "of a guest or host," from hospes (genitive hospitis); see host (n.1). Later "charitable institution to house and maintain the needy" (early 15c.); sense of "institution for sick people" is first recorded 1540s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for hospital
hospital
[ hŏs′pĭ-tl ]
n.
An institution that provides medical, surgical, or psychiatric care and treatment for the sick or the injured.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.