Comprehensive
Dictionary Suite
Help
Help
Help
 
     
Lookup History
hospital

hos·pi·tal

hospital

 
 
pronunciation:
ha spih tl
features:
Word Combinations (noun), Word History, Word Explorer, Word Parts
part of speech: noun
definition 1: an institution for the medical care of sick persons.
 
synonyms:
infirmary
similar words:
clinic, hospice, institution, sanatorium, sanitarium, sick bay
definition 2: a place for the medical treatment of animals.
similar words:
clinic
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
Word History
The words hospital and hospitality both come from a Latin word for "guest-house." During the Middle Ages in England, houses of shelter for the poor and needy were called "hospitals." "Hospital" did not mean "a place for sick people" until 1549.
Word Explorer
See
  blood, care, disease, health, injury, reproduction
Word PartsSubscriber feature About this feature