hostel

[hos-tl]

noun

1. Also called youth hostel. an inexpensive, supervised lodging place for young people on bicycle trips, hikes, etc.

2. (formerly) a residence for the exclusive use of boarding Indigenous students, separate from but close to any of a series of day schools in northern Canada that were operated or funded by the federal government and were themselves open to students of any ethnicity.

3. British.,  a student residence at a university or boarding school.

4. an inn.

verb (used without object)

hosteled, hosteling , hostelled, hostelling .

1. to travel, lodging each night at a hostel.

hostel

/ ˈhɒstəl /

noun

1. a building providing overnight accommodation, as for the homeless, etc

2. See youth hostel

3. a supervised lodging house for nurses, workers, etc

4. archaic,  another word for hostelry

Word History and Origins

Origin of hostel¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English (h)ostel, from Old French, from Late Latin hospitāle “guest room”; hospital

Word History and Origins

Origin of hostel¹

C13: from Old French, from Medieval Latin hospitāle hospice; see _hospital

Example Sentences

Following a jail stint for assault and theft, Mike gets a probation officer, a room at a hostel and a cook job at a shabby hotel.

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The hostel told her they didn't have her next-of-kin details despite, she says, leaving her number with them following a previous visit.

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The family was quickly moved to a migrant transit hostel in a tiny village south of Lille.

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It will apply to people staying in hotels, hostels, guest houses, B&Bs, self-catering accommodation, camp sites and caravan parks.

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So the two embarked on a survey in the university hostels asking a truly human question: if our sneakers reek, doesn't that ruin the entire experience of using a shoe rack?

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Related Words

• hotel 
• inn