nosocomial

[nos-uh-koh-mee-uhl]

adjective

1. (of infections) contracted as a result of being hospitalized; hospital-acquired.

nosocomial

/ ˌnɒsəˈkəʊmɪəl /

adjective

1. med originating in hospital

   nosocomial disease

Word History and Origins

Origin of nosocomial¹

1850–55; < New Latin nosocomi ( um ) hospital (< Late Greek nosokomeîon, equivalent to Greek noso- noso- + kom- (base with sense “care, attendance,” as in gērokómos caring for the old) + -eion suffix of location) + -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of nosocomial¹

C19: New Latin nosocomialis, via Late Latin from Greek, from nosokomos one that tends the sick, from nosos (see _noso- ) + komein to tend

Example Sentences

Of relevance is the control of bacterial populations in health environments such as hospitals and other healthcare units to avoid the so-called nosocomial infections, mainly due to bacterial colonization on biomedical surfaces.

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"They can infect any organism and commonly contaminate hospital environments. As a result they are a leading cause of nosocomial infections, in particular at the ICU."

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I suspect the infection was transmitted by a staff member, much like other nosocomial infections.

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The babies died recently at the Rabta hospital maternity ward in central Tunis, the country’s capital, after nosocomial, or hospital-acquired, infections led to deadly septic shocks, the health ministry said.

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One study, for instance, found that about 95 percent of mobile phones carried by health care workers were contaminated with nosocomial bacteria.

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