I. ˈhäst ə l noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English ostel, hostel, from Old French, from Late Latin hospitale hospice — more at hospital
1. : a public house for entertaining or lodging travelers : inn
folks used to ride up the bumpy road … to dine at the little hostel — Hodding Carter
2.
a. chiefly Britain : housing maintained by a public or private organization or institution:
(1) : dormitory 2
(2) : a rest home or rehabilitation center for the chronically ill, the aged, or the physically handicapped
(3) : living quarters for newly arrived immigrants
b. : one of a system of supervised inexpensive lodgings or shelters for use by youth especially on hiking or bicycling trips — called also youth hostel
3. obsolete : town house
II. “, dial -səl intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English hostelen, from hostel, n.
1. dialect England : lodge
2. : to travel usually by foot or by bicycle staying at hostels overnight
hundreds of outdoor-minded vacationers will hostel alone or in independent groups of two or three this summer — Phil Spelman