- pronunciation:
- ha
spih
t
l
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer, Word Parts
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition: |
A hospital is a place where sick or hurt people get help. Hospitals have beds, and people sometimes stay there for a few days.
When David's grandfather was sick, David visited him in the hospital.
- similar words:
- clinic, institution
|
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.