lazaretto

[ laz-uh-ret-oh ]

/ ˌlæz əˈrɛt oʊ /

noun, plural laz·a·ret·tos.

a hospital for those affected with contagious diseases, especially leprosy.

a building or a ship set apart for quarantine purposes.

Also called glory hole. Nautical. a small storeroom within the hull of a ship, especially one at the extreme stern.

Nearby words

layshaft, laytime, layton, laywoman, lazar, lazaretto, lazarist, lazarus, laze, lazear, lazio

Also laz·a·ret, laz·a·rette

[laz-uh-ret] /ˌlæz əˈrɛt/.

Origin of lazaretto

1540–50; < Upper Italian (Venetian) lazareto, blend of lazzaro lazar and Nazareto popular name of a hospital maintained in Venice by the Church of Santa Maria di Nazaret

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lazarette

Tom, suppose you hand up a length of that half inch stuff in the lazarette.
Boy Scouts in Southern Waters|G. Harvey Ralphson
I lifted the trap in the floor, but for some moments gazed dubiously into the darkness of the lazarette beneath.
The Sea-Wolf|Jack London
I suspected this to be the entrance to the lazarette, and putting both hands to the ring pulled the hatch up.
The Frozen Pirate|W. Clark Russell
Between records, Van Horn recollected the girl, and had her haled out of her dark hole in the lazarette to listen to the music.
Jerry of the Islands|Jack London

They broke open the lazarette and found several cases of wines and brandy, and a quantity of provisions of superior quality.
The Harbor Master|Theodore Goodridge Roberts

British Dictionary definitions for lazarette

lazaretto

lazaret or lazarette (ˌlæzəˈrɛt)

/ (ˌlæzəˈrɛtəʊ) /

noun plural -rettos, -rets or -rettes

Also called: glory hole nautical a small locker at the stern of a boat or a storeroom between decks of a ship

Also called: lazar house, pesthouse (formerly) a hospital for persons with infectious diseases, esp leprosy

Word Origin for lazaretto

C16: Italian, from lazzaro lazar

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