hospice

noun

hos·​pice ˈhä-spəs How to pronounce hospice (audio)
1
: a lodging for travelers, young persons, or the underprivileged especially when maintained by a religious order
2
: a program designed to provide palliative care and emotional support to the terminally ill in a home or homelike setting so that quality of life is maintained and family members may be active participants in care
also : a facility that provides such a program

Examples of hospice in a Sentence

She chose to go to a hospice instead of a hospital. the monks run a hospice for travelers in their mountain retreat
Recent Examples on the Web The drummer, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2022, was under hospice care, but Starr had some rare good news to deliver. Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 8 Mar. 2024 Burgess died of breast cancer in hospice care on Saturday, Brown Johnson, a longtime friend, told The New York Times. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 Burgess died Saturday in hospice care in Manhattan of breast cancer, her former Nickelodeon colleague Brown Johnson told The New York Times. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024 Her firm has investments in areas such as infertility, breastfeeding, menopause, and death (or end-of-life hospice care), but her sights are set even more broadly. Deb Gordon, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Unlike hospice workers, doulas don’t provide medical care, and the industry is unregulated — no official training or license is required, although many doulas, including Hunter-Smith, opt to complete an online certification program. Sophia Liang, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 Three Months Later, Their Surprise Baby Dies (Exclusive) Together with Ryan's family, Allen made the difficult decision to place Ryan on hospice. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 24 Feb. 2024 Language and education barriers, cultural differences and distrust of the health care system make advance care directives and hospice care less accessible for some. Sophia Liang, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 Even a longtime fan in hospice care in Saginaw, about 100 miles north of Detroit, now has blue hair. USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hospice.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, going back to Middle French hospise, borrowed from Medieval Latin hospitium "hospitality, lodgings, monastic guesthouse, shelter maintained by a religious order for the poor and infirm," going back to Latin,"accommodation of guests, hired lodgings," from hospit-, hospes "guest, host" + -ium, denominal suffix of function or occupation — more at host entry 1

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hospice was in 1818

Dictionary Entries Near hospice

Cite this Entry

“Hospice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hospice. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hospice

noun
hos·​pice ˈhäs-pəs How to pronounce hospice (audio)
1
: an inn for travelers
especially : one kept by a religious order
2
: a place or program for caring for dying persons

Medical Definition

hospice

noun
hos·​pice ˈhäs-pəs How to pronounce hospice (audio)
: a facility or program designed to provide palliative care and emotional support to the terminally ill in a home or homelike setting so that quality of life is maintained and family members may be active participants in care

More from Merriam-Webster on hospice

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!