Spital

See also: spital, špital, and špitál

German

Alternative forms

• Hospital (literary; dated)

Etymology

From Middle High German spitāl, hospitāl, from Old High German *hospitāl (attested in hospitālhūs (“hospital”)), from Latin hospitale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃpiˈtaːl/, [ʃpiːˈtaːl]
• Rhymes: -aːl

Noun

Spital n (genitive Spitals, plural Spitäler)

1. (dated outside Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol, Southern Germany) hospital

   Synonym: (overall more common) Krankenhaus

2. (dated) nursing home
3. (dated) poorhouse

Usage notes

• The word remains predominant (vis-à-vis Krankenhaus) in Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, and South Tyrol. Both words are common in many parts of southern Germany. In northern and central Germany, Spital is dated and now used almost exclusively by some of the older generation.

Further reading

• “Spital” in Duden online
• Spital on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de