hospital

hospital

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of hospital in English

English Online Dictionary. What means hospital‎? What does hospital mean?

English

Alternative forms

  • hospitale (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English hospital, hospitall, from Old French hospital (Modern French hôpital), from Late Latin hospitālis, hospitāle (“hospice, shelter, guesthouse”), from noun use of Latin hospitālis (“hospitable”), from hospes (“host, guest”). Doublet of hotel and hostel. Displaced native Middle English lechehous, from Old English lǣċehūs (literally “doctor house”).

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈhɒs.pɪ.tl̩/
  • (obsolete, Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɒs.pɪ.tl̩/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈhɑs.pɪ.tl̩/, /ˈhɑs.pɪ.ɾl̩/

Noun

hospital (countable and uncountable, plural hospitals)

  2. A large medical facility, usually in a building with multiple floors, where seriously ill or injured patients are given extensive medical and/or surgical treatment.
  3. A building founded for the long-term care of its residents, such as an almshouse. The residents may have no physical ailments, but simply need financial support.
  4. (obsolete) A place of lodging.

Synonyms

  • sickhouse

Hyponyms

  • clinic (small hospitals); field hospital (mobile, military); asylum, institution (mental health); leprosarium, leprosery, lazar house (leprosy); lazaret, lazaretto (port quarantine)

Coordinate terms

  • infirmary, nurse's office (rooms within a larger institution such as a school); surgery (UK), doctor's office (separate medical practices)

Derived terms

Related terms

  • hospice
  • hospitable
  • hospitality
  • host

Descendants

  • → Amharic: ሆስፒታል (hospital)
  • → Baluchi: اسپتال (ispatāl)
  • → Bengali: হসপিটাল (hospiṭal)
  • → Cebuano: hospital
  • → Gujarati: હોસ્પિટલ (hospiṭal)
  • → Marathi: इस्पितळ (ispitaḷ), हॉस्पिटल (hŏspiṭal)
  • → Malay: hospital
  • → Sindhi: اسپتال (ispatāl)
  • → Sotho: sepetlele
  • → Swahili: hospitali
  • → Zulu: isibhedlela
  • → Tashelhit: ṣṣbiṭar

Translations

Adjective

hospital (comparative more hospital, superlative most hospital)

  1. (obsolete) Hospitable.

Asturian

Etymology

Recent borrowing from Spanish hospital from Late Latin hospitālis, hospitāle (“hospice, shelter, guesthouse”), from Latin hospitālis (“hospitable”). Compare native hespital.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ospiˈtal/ [os.piˈt̪al]
  • Rhymes: -al
  • Hyphenation: hos‧pi‧tal

Noun

hospital m (plural hospitales)

  1. hospital (building)

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin hospitālis, hospitāle (“hospice, shelter, guesthouse”), noun use of Latin hospitālis (“hospitable”). Doublet of the inherited hostal.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): (Central) [us.piˈtal]
  • IPA(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [os.piˈtal]
  • Rhymes: -al
  • Hyphenation: hos‧pi‧tal

Noun

hospital m (plural hospitals)

  1. hospital

Derived terms

  • hospital psiquiàtric
  • hospitalitzar

Related terms

  • hospitalitat
  • hospici
  • hostal
  • hoste

Further reading

  • “hospital” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
  • “hospital”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
  • “hospital” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
  • “hospital” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Cebuano

Etymology

Borrowed from English hospital, borrowed from Old French hospital, from Latin hospitālis (“hospitable”), from hospes (“host, guest”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌhospiˈtal/ [ˌhos̪.pɪˈt̪al̪]
  • Rhymes: -al
  • Hyphenation: hos‧pi‧tal

Noun

hóspitál (Badlit spelling ᜑᜓᜐ᜔ᜉᜒᜆᜎ᜔)

  1. a hospital
    Synonyms: ospital, tambalanan

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin hospitālis, hospitāle (“hospital, guesthouse”), from the neuter form of Latin hospitālis (“hospitable”), from hospes (“host, guest, stranger”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /hɔspitaːl/, [hɔsb̥iˈtˢæːˀl] or IPA(key): /hospitaːl/, [hosb̥iˈtˢæːˀl]

Noun

hospital n (singular definite hospitalet, plural indefinite hospitaler)

  1. hospital

Inflection

Synonyms

  • sygehus n

Further reading

  • hospital on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia da

French

Pronunciation

Noun

hospital m (plural hospitaux)

  1. Obsolete spelling of hôpital.

Galician

Etymology

    From Old Galician-Portuguese hospital, espital, spital, borrowed from Late Latin hospitālis, hospitāle (“hospice, shelter, guesthouse”), from Latin hospitālis (“hospitable”).

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ɔspiˈtal/ [ɔs̺.piˈt̪ɑɫ]
    • Rhymes: -al
    • Hyphenation: hos‧pi‧tal

    Noun

    hospital m (plural hospitais)

    1. hospital

    Derived terms

    • hospitalizar

    Further reading

    • “hospital”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

    Interlingua

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /hos.piˈtal/

    Adjective

    hospital (comparative plus hospital, superlative le plus hospital)

    1. hospitable

    Noun

    hospital (plural hospitales)

    1. hospital

    Malay

    Etymology

    Borrowed from English hospital or Dutch hospitaal, both ultimately from Old French hospital, from Latin hospitālis. Displaced rumah sakit within Malaysia by the 1960s during the Konfrontasi.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /hosˈpital/ [hosˈpi.t̪al]
    • Hyphenation: hos‧pi‧tal
    • Rhymes: -ital

    Noun

    hospital (Jawi spelling هوسڤيتل, plural hospital-hospital, informal 1st possessive hospitalku, 2nd possessive hospitalmu, 3rd possessive hospitalnya)

    1. hospital
      Synonym: rumah sakit (Malay populated areas of Indonesia)

    Descendants

    • → Iban: sepital

    References

    Further reading

    • “hospital” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

    Middle English

    Alternative forms

    • hospitale, hospitall, hospitalle, hospitel, hospytal, hospytale, hospytall, ospitale

    Etymology

    Borrowed from Old French hospital, from Latin hospitālis, hospitāle. Doublet of hostel.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ɔspiˈtaːl/, /ˈɔspital/

    Noun

    hospital (plural hospitals)

    1. A hostel or guesthouse; a place of accommodation or lodging.
    2. A shelter for the poor, ill or otherwise needy.
    3. A place of refuge; a retreat or redoubt.
    4. The Knights Hospitaller (a religious order)

    Related terms

    • hospitalarye
    • hospitalite
    • hospiteler

    Descendants

    • English: hospital (see there for further descendants)
    • Scots: hospital

    References

    • “hospitāl, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-08-07.

    Adjective

    hospital

    1. hospitable

    Descendants

    • English: hospital (obsolete)

    References

    • “hospitāl, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-08-07.

    Middle French

    Etymology

    From Old French hospital (Modern French hôpital), borrowed from Late Latin hospitālis, hospitāle (“hospice, shelter, guesthouse”) from Latin hospitālis (“hospitable”), from hospes (“host, guest”).

    Noun

    hospital m (plural hospitaulx)

    1. hospital (medical)

    Descendants

    • French: hôpital

    Old French

    Etymology

    Borrowed from Late Latin hospitālis, hospitāle (“hospice, shelter, guesthouse”), from Latin hospitālis (“hospitable”), from hospes (“host, guest”). Compare the inherited ostel.

    Noun

    hospital oblique singular, m (oblique plural hospitaus or hospitax or hospitals, nominative singular hospitaus or hospitax or hospitals, nominative plural hospital)

    1. hospital (medical)

    Descendants

    • Anglo-Norman: ospitel
      • → Middle Irish: ospitél
        • Irish: ospidéal
        • Scottish Gaelic: ospadal
    • Middle French: hospital
      • French: hôpital
    • → Dutch: hospitaal
      • Afrikaans: hospitaal
      • Malay: hospital
      • → Caribbean Hindustani: aspatál
    • → Middle English: hospital
      • English: hospital (see there for further descendants)
      • Scots: hospital
    • → Russian: госпиталь (gospitalʹ)

    Adjective

    hospital m (oblique and nominative feminine singular hospitale)

    1. hospitable; welcoming

    Declension

    Old Occitan

    Alternative forms

    • ospital, espital

    Etymology

    Borrowed from Latin hospitāle (“hospital; guesthouse”), noun use of the neuter form of hospitālis (“pertaining to a host or guest”).

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /us.piˈtal/

    Noun

    hospital m (oblique plural hospitals, nominative singular hospitals, nominative plural hospital)

    1. hospital
    2. One of several religious orders.

    Related terms

    • hospitaleir
    • hospitalitat

    Descendants

    • Occitan: espital

    Portuguese

    Alternative forms

    • espital (obsolete)

    Etymology

      From Old Galician-Portuguese hospital, espital, spital, from Late Latin hospitālis (“hospice, shelter, guesthouse”), from Latin hospitālis (“hospitable”). Doublet of the inherited hospedal.

      Pronunciation

      • (Northeast Brazil) IPA(key): /ɔs.piˈtaw/
      • Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
      • Hyphenation: hos‧pi‧tal

      Noun

      hospital m (plural hospitais)

      1. hospital
        Synonym: nosocómio

      Derived terms

      • hospitalar
      • hospitalizar

      Related terms

      Descendants

      • Kabuverdianu: ospital
      • → Hindustani:
        Hindi: अस्पताल (aspatāl)
        • → Caribbean Hindustani: aspataal
        • → Fiji Hindi: aspataal
        Urdu: اسپتال (aspatāl)
      • → Hunsrik: Hospital
      • → Kannada: ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆ (āspatre)
      • → Middle Bengali: *আসপাতাল (*aśpatal)
        • Bengali: হাসপাতাল (haśpatal) (influenced by English hospital)
      • → Punjabi: ਹਸਪਤਾਲ (haspatāl)
      • → Tetum: ospitál

      Spanish

      Etymology

      Borrowed from Late Latin hospitāle (“hospice, shelter, guesthouse”), from Latin hospitālis (“hospitable”). Doublet of hostal.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /ospiˈtal/ [os.piˈt̪al]
      • Rhymes: -al
      • Syllabification: hos‧pi‧tal

      Noun

      hospital m (plural hospitales)

      1. hospital
        Synonym: nosocomio

      Derived terms

      Related terms

      Descendants

      • → Bikol Central: ospital
      • → Cebuano: ospital
      • → Karao: ospital
      • → Tagalog: ospital

      See also

      Further reading

      • “hospital”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

      Swedish

      Etymology

      Borrowed from Medieval Latin hospitale, nominalisation of Latin hospitalis (“hospitality”).

      Noun

      hospital n

      1. (archaic, 11th century) lodging for travelers
      2. (archaic, middle age) leprosarium; care facility for the leprous
      3. (archaic, 15th century) care facility for the elderly, disabled, and sick
        Synonym: helgeandshus
      4. (archaic, 19th century) mental hospital

      Declension

      See also

      • sjukhus (“hospital”, literally “sick-house”)
      • lasarett (“hospital”)

      References

      • hospital in Svensk ordbok (SO)
      • hospital in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
      • hospital in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

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      Related Words

      hospitals

      hospitality

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