sanatorium
Americannoun
plural
sanatoriums, sanatoria-
a hospital for the treatment of chronic diseases, as tuberculosis or various nervous or mental disorders.
noun
-
an institution for the medical care and recuperation of persons who are chronically ill
-
a health resort
-
a room in a boarding school where sick pupils may be treated in isolation
Etymology
Origin of sanatorium
1830–40; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin sanā ( re ) to heal + -tōrium -tory 2
Explanation
A sanatorium is a place to go when you're suffering or recuperating from a long illness. It was once common for tuberculosis patients to be treated at a sanatorium. In some parts of the world, including Russia and the Czech Republic, a sanatorium is more of a health spa, with the added benefit of available medical treatments. While there are very few sanatoriums left in North America, they were once the preferred location for chronically ill patients, especially before antibiotics for treating tuberculosis were developed in the mid-20th century. The Latin sanus, "well, healthy, or sane," is the root of sanatorium.
Vocabulary lists containing sanatorium
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The ship eventually docked in Genoa and he was taken to a sanatorium while the rest of the team continued on to Romania.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025
Physician conducting a medical examination of a dairy worker at the state tuberculosis sanatorium in Ah-Gwah-Ching, Minnesota, 1932.
From Salon • Feb. 21, 2025
Rowlands spent two years in a sanatorium as a child recovering from tuberculosis, a disease which claimed his sister Megan's life, and in the early 1990s he overcame bowel cancer.
From BBC • Jul. 30, 2023
The relentless 10-month war has prompted a local commander to transform a Soviet-era sanatorium into a recovery center for servicemen to treat both mental and physical ailments.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 5, 2023
The color scheme of the whole sanatorium seemed to be based on liver.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
