hos ‧ pi ‧ tal S1 W1 /ˈhɒspɪtl $ ˈhɑː-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Medieval Latin hospitale 'place to stay at' , from Latin hospitalis 'of a guest' , from hospes ; ⇨ ↑ host 1 ]
a large building where sick or injured people receive medical treatment:
They are building a new hospital.
in hospital British English :
She visited him in hospital.
in the hospital American English :
Two people are in the hospital with serious burns.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ go to hospital British English , go to the hospital American English
The pain got worse and she had to go to the hospital.
▪ be taken/rushed/airlifted to hospital British English , be taken/rushed/airlifted to the hospital American English
Three people were taken to hospital after a crash on the motorway.
▪ be admitted to hospital British English , be admitted to the hospital American English
He was admitted to hospital suffering from chest pain.
▪ leave/come out of hospital British English , leave/come out of the hospital American English
Her mother never left the hospital.
▪ be discharged/released from hospital British English , be discharged/released from the hospital American English (=be allowed to leave a hospital because you are better)
It was several weeks before he was released from hospital.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + hospital
▪ a psychiatric hospital ( also a mental hospital old-fashioned ) (=for people with mental illnesses)
He was admitted to a secure psychiatric hospital.
▪ a children’s hospital
an important children’s hospital
▪ a maternity hospital British English (=for women having babies)
Many maternity hospitals have been forced to close.
■ hospital + NOUN
▪ hospital treatment/care
What do older people think of hospital care?
▪ a hospital stay (=the period someone spends in hospital)
New surgical techniques mean a hospital stay of less than 48 hours.
▪ a hospital bed
There is a shortage of hospital beds.
▪ a hospital ward/room
nurses working on hospital wards
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THESAURUS
▪ hospital a large building where sick or injured people receive medical treatment:
He was taken by ambulance to the local hospital.
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the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford
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a mental hospital
▪ medical center American English a large hospital, which often has many different departments, including areas for research:
a discovery by doctors at the New England Medical Center
▪ clinic a place, often in a hospital, where medical treatment and advice is given to people who do not need to stay in a hospital:
a family-planning clinic (=which gives people help and advice about birth control)
|
a special clinic for people with drug and alcohol problems
▪ hospice a special hospital for people who are dying:
They are hoping to raise funds to build a hospice for sick and dying children.
▪ nursing home/old people's home ( also home ) a place where people who are old and ill can live and be looked after, by nurses:
She doesn't want to end up in a nursing home.
▪ sanatorium a place where people recovering after a long illness were sent in the past, so that they could rest and receive special care:
He was sent to a sanatorium in the Swiss Alps.
■ parts of a hospital
▪ A&E/casualty British English , emergency room/ER American English the part of a hospital where people who are injured or who need urgent treatment are brought:
A&E waiting times have gone down.
|
A 33-year-old man was brought to the emergency room in a coma.
▪ operating theatre British English , operating room American English a room in a hospital where operations are done:
Mrs Barnett was in the operating theatre for 11 hours while the transplant was carried out.
▪ intensive care the part of a hospital where people who are very seriously ill or badly injured are cared for:
Mr Dye is in intensive care with head injuries.
▪ unit part of a hospital where a particular kind of treatment is carried out:
the burns unit
|
the fertility unit
▪ ward a large room in a hospital where people who need medical treatment stay:
the women's ward
|
She works as a nurse on a busy hospital ward.