sanatorium

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌsæn.əˈtɔːɹ.iː.əm/ (UK); /ˌsæn.əˈtoɹ.i.əm/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is from New Latin sanatorium,^[2][3][4][5] a noun use of the neuter of Late Latin sānātōrius “curative, health-giving”,^[6][2][3][4] from sānāre “to heal”, from sānus “healthy”.^[6][2][3][5] It is related to sane and sanitarium.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

An establishment for the medical treatment of invalids, especially convalescents (1839).^[2][3][4][7]

Semantic evolution

From 1842 the word also meant a place people go to for its healthy climate,^[3][7] and the Century Dictionary noted its use for hill stations in the tropics suited to the health of Europeans.^[3] From 1860 it meant the sickroom of a boarding school.^[7] It later meant especially a hospital for chronic diseases such as tuberculosis.^[6][5]

Timeline

• 1839 – an establishment for treating invalids.^[2][3][4][7]
• 1842 – a health resort.^[3][7]
• 1860 – a school sickroom.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An institution for treating chronic diseases such as tuberculosis, or for supervised recuperation.
2. A resort for improving or keeping one's health, especially for convalescents.

Related words

• sanitarium
• sane
• sanitary

Usage notes

Merriam-Webster gives both sanatoriums and sanatoria as plurals.^[4]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press