host
1[ hohst ]
/ hoʊst /
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noun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
to perform the duties or functions of a host.
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Origin of host
11250–1300; Middle English (h)oste (noun) <Middle French <Latin hospit- (stem of hospes) host, guest, stranger, perhaps <*hosti-pot(i)s or *hos-pot(i)s, equivalent to hos(ti)- combining form of hostis stranger (see host2) + -pot(i)s, akin to potis having the power to, posse to be able (see potent1) (hence, “one granting hospitality, one in charge of guests”); compare, with different initial elements, Greek despótēs master, despot, Lithuanian viẽšpats lord
OTHER WORDS FROM host
hostless, adjectivehostship, nounOther definitions for host (2 of 3)
host2
[ hohst ]
/ hoʊst /
noun
a multitude or great number of persons or things: a host of details.
an army.
Origin of host
2Other definitions for host (3 of 3)
Host
[ hohst ]
/ hoʊst /
noun Ecclesiastical.
the bread or wafer consecrated in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Origin of Host
1275–1325; Middle English hoste<Late Latin hostia Eucharistic wafer (Latin: victim, sacrifice); replacing Middle English oyst<Middle French oiste<Late Latin, as above
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use host in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for host (1 of 3)
host1
/ (həʊst) /
noun
verb
to be the host of (a party, programme, etc)to host one's own show
(tr) US informal to leave (a restaurant) without paying the bill
Word Origin for host
C13: from French hoste, from Latin hospes guest, foreigner, from hostis enemy
British Dictionary definitions for host (2 of 3)
Word Origin for host
C13: from Old French hoste, from Latin hostis stranger, enemy
British Dictionary definitions for host (3 of 3)
Host
/ (həʊst) /
noun
the bread consecrated in the Eucharist
Word Origin for Host
C14: from Old French oiste, from Latin hostia victim
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medical definitions for host
host
[ hōst ]
n.
The animal or plant on which or in which a parasitic organism lives.
The recipient of a transplanted tissue or organ.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for host
host
[ hōst ]
- The larger of two organisms in a symbiotic relationship.
- An organism or cell on or in which a parasite lives or feeds.♦ A definitive host is an organism in which a parasite reaches sexual maturity. The anopheles mosquito is the definitive host for the malaria plasmodium because, while the mosquito is not adversely affected by the plasmodium's presence, it is the organism in which the plasmodium matures and reproduces.♦ An intermediate host is an organism in which a parasite develops but does not attain sexual maturity. Humans and certain other vertebrates are the intermediate host of the malaria plasmodium.♦ A paratenic host is an organism which may be required for the completion of a parasite's life cycle but in which no development of the parasite occurs. The unhatched eggs of nematodes are sometimes carried in a paratenic host such as a bird or rodent. When a predator eats the paratenic host, the eggs are ingested as well.
The recipient of a transplanted tissue or organ.
A computer containing data or programs that another computer can access by means of a network or modem.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.