le hôpital
hospital
Lieu où l’on soigne les personnes malades ou blessées, avec des médecins et des infirmiers.
Definition & meaning
An hôpital is a medical institution where sick or injured people are treated. Its primary function is to provide specialized medical care, diagnostics, surgery, and long-term treatment through qualified staff and medical equipment.
Beyond the physical building, the term is also used in a broader sense to refer to the medical system of hospitalization itself, as in the phrase "travailler à l'hôpital" (working in the hospital).
Historically, the term could also refer to a hospice or an almshouse dedicated to providing shelter and care for the needy, the elderly, or pilgrims, though this usage is now archaic.
Grammar & Word origin
The word is a masculine noun. It is derived from the Old French hospital, which itself comes from the Medieval Latin hospitale, meaning a "guest house" or "inn." This Latin root is shared with the word hôte , meaning "host" or "guest."
The silent "h" at the beginning of the word is an "h muet," which means it follows standard elision and liaison rules (e.g., "l'hôpital" and "des hôpitaux").
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms:
- Centre hospitalier : A more formal or administrative term for a hospital.
- Clinique : Often refers to a private medical facility, usually smaller than a general hospital.
- Infirmerie : A smaller medical facility, often located within a school, military base, or large organization.
- Hospice : Historically related, though now typically used to describe a facility for the terminally ill or elderly.
Antonyms: There are no direct linguistic antonyms for "hôpital," as it is a specific type of building. However, conceptually, one might contrast it with places of wellness or home care, such as:
Make “hôpital” part of your vocabulary.
Build your French vocabulary with flashcards, audio and spaced repetition.
Examples
Ma tante travaille à l'hôpital.noun
My aunt works at the hospital.
Mon père va à l'hôpital chaque semaine.noun
My father goes to the hospital every week.
Keep exploring French
Learn words from the content you love.
Add words from websites, books and videos, then remember them with spaced repetition (SRS).
Scan for iPhone & iPad