Host Means a Welcomer, an Enemy and a Crowd
A host receives guests. The same Latin root produced words for both hospitality and hostility.
A host is someone who receives guests, and also a large number of people or things. Latin *hospes* meant both a host and a guest — the relationship ran both ways — and the related *hostis* meant a stranger, then an enemy. From one root English got *hospitality* and *hostility*, *hotel* and *hostile*. A *host* of angels is a third sense, from Latin *hostia*, an army, and a biological host carries a parasite.
- One who receives guests. *A generous host.*
- A large number. *A host of problems.*
- An organism carrying a parasite. *The host species.*
- Hostile — the same root. *Hostile.*
- Latin — *hospes*, host or guest. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | host | A host. |
| Plural | hosts | Hosts. |
| Verb | host | Hosting. |
| Feminine | hostess | A hostess. |
| Latin | hospes | A host or guest. |
- She was a gracious host.Welcome.
- A host of difficulties.Number.
- Hospitality and hostility share a root.Etymology.
The stranger family
- Host — one who receives a stranger
- Guest — the stranger received
- Hospital — a place of hospitality, once for travellers
- Hotel — the same word through French
- Hostile — from a stranger treated as an enemy instead
Latin *hospes*, a host or guest, related to *hostis*, a stranger or enemy.
How can one root give hospitality and hostility?
Because both begin with a stranger. Treat one well and it is hospitality; treat one as a threat and it is hostility.
Are hospital and hotel the same word?
Yes, arriving by different routes. A hospital was originally a place of hospitality for travellers and the sick.