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hospital

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hos⋅pi⋅tal

[hos-pi-tl]
–noun
1. an institution in which sick or injured persons are given medical or surgical treatment.
2. a similar establishment for the care of animals.
3. a repair shop for specific portable objects: violin hospital; doll hospital.
4. British. an institution supported by charity or taxes for the care of the needy, as an orphanage or old people's home.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME hospitale < ML, n. use of neut. of L hospitālis hospitable, equiv. to hospit- (see hospitium ) + -ālis -al 1
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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hos·pi·tal   (hŏs'pĭ-tl, -pĭt'l)   
n.  
  1. An institution that provides medical, surgical, or psychiatric care and treatment for the sick or the injured.

  2. Chiefly British A charitable institution, such as an orphanage or a home for the elderly.

  3. A repair shop for specified items: a doll hospital.

  4. Archaic A hospice for travelers or pilgrims.


[Middle English, hospice, from Old French ospital, from Medieval Latin hospitāle, from neuter of Latin hospitālis, of a guest, from hospes, hospit-, guest; see ghos-ti- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

hospital 
1242, "shelter for the needy," from O.Fr. hospital "hostel," from L.L. hospitale "guest-house, inn," neut. of L. adj. hospitalis "of a guest or host," from hospes (gen. hospitis); see host (1). Later "charitable institution to house and maintain the needy" (1418); sense of "institution for sick people" is first recorded 1549. Hospitalize is from 1901, "Freq(uently) commented on as an unhappy formation" [OED].
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: hos·pi·tal
Pronunciation: 'häs-"pit-&l
Function: noun
often attributive 1 : a charitableinstitution for the needy, aged, infirm, or young
2 a : an institution where the sick or injured are given medical or surgical care —when used in British English following apreposition, the article is usually omitted hospital —Robert Graves> b : a place for the care and treatment of sick and injured animals
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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hospital hos·pi·tal (hŏs'pĭ-tl, -pĭt'l)
n.
An institution that provides medical, surgical, or psychiatric care and treatment for the sick or the injured.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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