# hospital
## 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: /ˈhɒs.pɪ.tl̩/
** Audio (UK):(file)
* (obsolete, Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈɒs.pɪ.tl̩/
* (General American) IPA: /ˈhɑs.pɪ.tl̩/, /ˈhɑs.pɪ.ɾl̩/
** Audio (US):(file)
* Hyphenation: hos‧pit‧al

### Noun

hospital (countable and uncountable, plural hospitals)
* 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.
    Luckily an ambulance arrived quickly and he was rushed to hospital. (UK)
    Luckily an ambulance arrived quickly and he was rushed to the hospital. (US)
** 2010, Sameer P. Sarkar, “Mental health law and the mentally disordered offender”, in Annie Bartlett, Gill McGauley, editors, Forensic Mental Health: Concepts, Systems, and Practice, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, section 3 (Law), page 265:This section of the Act gives the court powers to assess whether treatment is going to be beneficial and hence whether hospital is a suitable disposal option.
* 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.
    The foundling hospital took in abandoned children and educated them.
* (obsolete) A place of lodging.
** 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:[…] they spide a goodly castle, plast / Foreby a riuer in a pleasaunt dale, / Which choosing for that euenings hospitale, / They thither marcht […]

#### 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

* antihospital
* children's hospital
* cottage hospital
* field hospital
* general hospital
* hospital bed
* hospital corner
* hospital corpsman
* hospital fever
* hospital gangrene
* hospital gown
* hospitalise
* hospitalism
* hospitalist
* hospitalization
* hospitalize
* hospitaller
* hospital order
* hospital pass
* hospital ship
* hospital soap
* hospital sock
* in hospital
* in-hospital
* interhospital
* in the hospital
* intrahospital
* lock hospital
* maternity hospital
* mental hospital
* military hospital
* multihospital
* nonhospital
* posthospital
* prehospital
* psychiatric hospital
* put someone in hospital
* teaching hospital
* veterinary hospital

#### 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)
* (obsolete) Hospitable.
** 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:At last the Ocean, that hospital friend to the wretched, opened her capacious arms to receive him; and he instantly resolved to accept her kind invitation.

## Asturian
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ospiˈtal/ [os.piˈt̪al]
* Rhymes: -al
* Syllabification: hos‧pi‧tal

### Noun

hospital m (plural hospitales)
* 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: (Central) [us.piˈtal]
* IPA: (Balearic, Valencia) [os.piˈtal]
* Audio (Catalonia):(file)
* Rhymes: -al
* Hyphenation: hos‧pi‧tal

### Noun

hospital m (plural hospitals)
* 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: /ˌhospiˈtal/ [ˌhos̪.pɪˈt̪al̪]
* Rhymes: -al
* Hyphenation: hos‧pi‧tal

### Noun

hóspitál (Badlit spelling ᜑᜓᜐ᜔ᜉᜒᜆᜎ᜔)
* 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: /hɔspitaːl/, [hɔsb̥iˈtˢæːˀl] or IPA: /hospitaːl/, [hosb̥iˈtˢæːˀl]

### Noun

hospital n (singular definite hospitalet, plural indefinite hospitaler)
* hospital

#### Synonyms

* sygehus n

#### Further reading

* hospital on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia $^{da}$

## French
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Noun

hospital m (plural hospitaux)
* 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: /ɔspiˈtal/ [ɔs̺.piˈt̪ɑɫ]
* Rhymes: -al
* Hyphenation: hos‧pi‧tal

### Noun

hospital m (plural hospitais)
* hospital
    Foi visitar un enfermo ao hospital. Un hospital privado.(please add an English translation of this usage example)

#### Derived terms

* hospitalizar

### Further reading

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

## Interlingua
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /hos.piˈtal/

### Adjective

hospital (comparative plus hospital, superlative le plus hospital)
* hospitable
** 1992, Ramiro Castro, “Un septimana in asuncion”, in Panorama in Interlingua, volume 1992, number martio-april:Le populo es multo hospital e amabile.The people are very hospitable and amiable.

### Noun

hospital (plural hospitales)
* hospital
** 1959 March, A. Donald Merritt, Bernard F. Fetter, “Toxic Hepatic Necrosis (Hepatitis) due to Isoniazid: Report of a Case with Cirrhosis and Death due to Hemorrhage from Esophageal Varices”, in Annals of Internal Medicine, page 810:Esseva constatate plus tarde que illa habeva recipite streptomycina, isoniazido, e acido para-aminosalicylic un anno previemente a un altere hospital.It was established later that she had received streptomycin, isoniazid and para-aminosalicylic acid a year earlier at another 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: /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)
* hospital
    Synonym: rumah sakit (Malay populated areas of Indonesia)

#### Descendants

* → Iban: sepital

### References

* ↑ Kwik Khing Djoen (1923) Kitab Vortaro: Segala Perkatahan-Perkatahan Asing Jang Soeda Oemoem Di Goena Ken Di Dalem Soerat-Soerat Kabar Melayoe, Batavia: Sin Po, page 144
* ↑ Umar Junus (2010) Gaya bahasa sastera Melayu, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Malaysia, page 95

### 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: /ɔspiˈtaːl/, /ˈɔspital/

### Noun

hospital (plural hospitals)
* A hostel or guesthouse; a place of accommodation or lodging.
* A shelter for the poor, ill or otherwise needy.
* A place of refuge; a retreat or redoubt.
* 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
* 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)
* 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)
* 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)
* 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: /us.piˈtal/

### Noun

hospital m (oblique plural hospitals, nominative singular hospitals, nominative plural hospital)
* hospital
** 12th c., Lo codi [The Code], translation of Codex Justinianeus by Justinian I:A gleisas et a hospitalsto churches and hospitals
* 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

* (Brazil) IPA: /os.piˈtaw/ [os.piˈtaʊ̯]
* (Brazil) IPA: /os.piˈtaw/ [os.piˈtaʊ̯]
** (Rio de Janeiro) IPA: /oʃ.piˈtaw/ [oʃ.piˈtaʊ̯]
* (Portugal) IPA: /ɔʃ.piˈtal/ [ɔʃ.piˈtaɫ]
* (Portugal) IPA: /ɔʃ.piˈtal/ [ɔʃ.piˈtaɫ]
** (Southern Portugal) IPA: /ɔʃ.piˈta.li/
* (Northeast Brazil) IPA: /ɔs.piˈtaw/
* Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
* Hyphenation: hos‧pi‧tal

### Noun

hospital m (plural hospitais)
* hospital
    Synonym: nosocómio

#### Derived terms

* hospitalar
* hospitalizar

#### Related terms

* hospedar
* hospedaria
* hóspede
* hospedeiro
* hospício
* hospitalário
* hospitaleiro
* hospitalidade
* inospitalidade
* inóspito

#### 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: /ospiˈtal/ [os.piˈt̪al]
* Audio (Spain):(file)
* Rhymes: -al
* Syllabification: hos‧pi‧tal

### Noun

hospital m (plural hospitales)
* hospital
    Synonym: nosocomio

#### Derived terms

* hospital psiquiátrico

#### Related terms

* hospedar
* hospicio
* hospitalidad
* hostal
* huésped

#### Descendants

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

#### See also

* clínica

### 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
* (archaic, 11th century) lodging for travelers
* (archaic, middle age) leprosarium; care facility for the leprous
** 1844, Magnus Jacob Crusenstolpe, Morianen, eller Holstein-Gottorpiska huset i Sverige. Tidsbilder, började på fästningen. Sjette och sista delen‎, page 44:Hennes person kan liknas vid ett hospital, som utanpå är likt ett nymåladt palats, men hyser inom sig död, sjukdom och förskräckelse; […]Her person may be likened to a leprosarium, which on the outside is like a newly painted palace, but harbors within it death, disease, and horror; […]
* (archaic, 15th century) care facility for the elderly, disabled, and sick
    Synonym: helgeandshus
* (archaic, 19th century) mental hospital
** 1835, Victor August Altén, “Jorden [Earth]”, in Dikter II, page 94:Mången tror den är ett hospital, då han ser så många dårar samla sig uti dess stora gästningssal, och, som blinda, kring dess väggar famla.Many believe it's a madhouse, when they see so many fools gather, in its large reception hall, and, like the blind, stumble around its walls.
** 1843–1846, August Blanche, “En trappa upp och på nedra botten, eller Grosshandlaren och Klädmäklaren [1843]”, in Theater-stycken I‎, page 76:Hvar har ni fått de der idéerna ifrån? ni måtte ha rymt från något hospital i Frankrike?Where did you get those ideas from? you must have escaped from some mental institution in France?

#### 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)