sjukhus

Swedish

Alternative forms

• sjukehus, siukhus, siwkhus (dated)

Etymology

Affix of sjuk (“sick”) +‎ hus (“house”), inherited from Old Swedish siuka hus. Attested since 1480. Cognate with English sickhouse, West Frisian sikehûs (“hospital”), Dutch ziekenhuis (“hospital”), German Low German Süükhuus, Sükenhuus (“hospital”), German Siechhaus, Siechenhaus (“infirmary”), Danish sygehus (“hospital”), Icelandic sjúkrahús (“hospital”). Compare also German Krankenhaus (“hospital”), Saterland Frisian Kroankenhuus (“hospital”), Old English lǣċehūs (“hospital”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²ɧʉːkhʉːs/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

sjukhus n

1. a hospital

   Synonym: lasarett

   • 1772, Olof Bergklint, “Granskning. Satir.”, in Utile Dulci, editor, Vitterhets-nöjen. Tredie delen‎^[1]:

     Ur dårhus för en klok, och siukhus för en frisk

     From a madhouse for a wise man, and a hospital for a healthy one

   • 1897, August Strindberg, Inferno‎^[2], pages 56–57:

     [...] däri de berättade för mig att de hade varit allvarsamt sjuka och måst in tagas på sjukhus.

     in which they told me that they had been seriously ill and had to be admitted to a hospital

   • 2011, Henrika Andersson, Emma Gloria med lust och fägring stor‎^[3], page 65:

     Jag kunde inte annat än hålla med honom, sjukhus gör mig sjuk.

     I could not help but agree with him, hospitals make me sick.

Usage notes

• In contemporary Swedish both terms, lasarett and sjukhus, are used interchangeable. The choice of any particular term is, if anything, based on the name of the particular hospital itself. For exempel:
  • The hospital in Ljungby named Lasarettet Ljungby is often referred to as a lasarett.
  • The hospital in Göteborg named Carlanderska sjukhuset is often referred to as a sjukhus.
• The general nonspecific term in media tend to be sjukhus.
• In recent years more and more hospitals have changed their official name from lasarett to sjukhus.

Declension

Declension of sjukhus
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	sjukhus	sjukhuset	sjukhus	sjukhusen
Genitive	sjukhus	sjukhusets	sjukhus	sjukhusens

Derived terms

• akutsjukhus (“emergency hospital”)
• allmänsjukhus (“public hospital”)
• annexsjukhus (“hospital annexe, long-term care”)
• barnsjukhus (“children's hospital”)
• djursjukhus (“veterinary hospital”)
• epidemisjukhus (“epidemic hospital”)
• fältsjukhus (“field hospital”)
• garnisonssjukhus (“garrison hospital”)
• länsdelssjukhus (“minor county hospital”)
• länssjukhus (“county hospital”)
• mentalsjukhus (“mental hospital”)
• militärsjukhus (“military hospital”)
• närsjukhus (“local hospital”)
• privatsjukhus (“private hospital”)
• regionsjukhus (“regional hospital”)
• sinnessjukhus (“mental asylum”)
• sjukhusbibliotek (“hospital library”)
• sjukhusdirektör (“hospital director”)
• sjukhusfartyg (“hospital ship”)
• sjukhusfysiker (“medical physicist”)
• sjukhushygien (“hospital hygiene”)
• sjukhusinfektion (“hospital-acquired infection”)
• sjukhuskläder (“hospital gown”)
• sjukhuskost (“hospital diet”)
• sjukhussjuka (“hospital-acquired infection”)
• sjukhussäng (“hospital bed”)
• sjukhusvistelse (“hospital visit”)
• sjukhusvård (“hospital care”)
• undervisningssjukhus (“teaching hospital”)
• universitetssjukhus (“university hospital”)

 

References

• sjukhus in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• sjukhus in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• Svensk MeSH