hospital

hospital

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; ⇨ ↑host¹]
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. | the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford | 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.