Where does “hospital” come from?
hospital (Middle French) comes from Old French hospital, from Late Latin hospitale, from Latin hospitālis, from Latin hospes, from Proto-Italic hostipotis, from Proto-Italic χostipotis, from Proto-Indo-European gʰostipotis, from Proto-Indo-European pótis — to drink.
hospital (Middle French): hospital
Ancestry of “hospital”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | hospital | hospital; hospitable; welcoming |
| 2 | Late Latin | hospitale | hospice; hospital, guesthouse; shelter, hospice,... |
| 3 | Latin | hospitālis | — |
| 4 | Latin | hospes | host; guest, visitor; stranger; foreigner |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | hostipotis | host |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | χostipotis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰostipotis | master of guests |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pótis | master, ruler; husband |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ph₃tis | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₃- | to drink |
Words derived from “hospital”