Etymologically
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hospitality

Etymology and origin of the English word hospitality

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1375
Borrowed from
Old French hospitalité via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Latin (hospes)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌhɒs.pɪˈtæl.ɪ.ti/ (UK); /ˌhɑ.spɪˈtæl.ə.ti/, /ˌhɑ.spɪˈtæl.ɪ.ti/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English hospitalite, borrowed from Old French hospitalité (“hospitality; hospital”),[2][3][4] from Latin hospitālitās (“friendliness to guests”),[2][3] from hospitālis (“of a guest, hospitable”),[4][5] from hospes (“guest; host”) (see host).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The friendly reception and entertainment of guests or strangers: about 1375 in the OED, about 1384 in Barnhart (the Wycliffe Bible), with an earlier Scottish form hospitalyte.[6][3]

Semantic evolution

An instance of hospitable treatment is from 1856.[6] The word was also used of a hospitable institution or foundation, a hospital, from 1571.[6] Its use as a modifier, now common of rooms or suites in a hotel set aside for entertaining guests, is recorded from 1552,[6] and the business of providing food, drink and lodging for visitors, as in the hospitality industry, is a modern sense.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 1375 – the reception of guests.[6]
  • 1571 – a hospital or hospitable foundation.[6]
  • 1856 – an instance of hospitality.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Friendly and generous reception and treatment of guests or strangers.
  2. An instance of such treatment.
  3. The business of providing accommodation, food, drink and entertainment for guests, as in hotels and restaurants.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Hospitality.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/hospitality. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·