host
1
[ hohst ]
/ hoʊst /
noun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
to perform the duties or functions of a host.
Origin of host
1
1250–1300; Middle English (
h)oste (noun) < Middle French < Latin
hospit- (stem of
hospes) host, guest, stranger, perhaps <
*hosti-pot(i)s or
*hos-pot(i)s, equivalent to
hos(ti)- combining form of
hostis stranger (see
host2) +
-pot(i)s, akin to
potis having the power to,
posse to be able (see
potent1) (hence, “one granting hospitality, one in charge of guests”); compare, with different initial elements, Greek
despótēs master,
despot, Lithuanian
viẽšpats lord
OTHER WORDS FROM host
host·less, adjective host·ship, nounWords nearby host
hospitalize,
hospitaller,
hospitalman,
hospitium,
hospodar,
host,
host computer,
host-specific,
hosta,
hostage,
hostel
Definition for host (2 of 3)
host
2
[ hohst ]
/ hoʊst /
noun
a multitude or great number of persons or things: a host of details.
an army.
Origin of host
2Definition for host (3 of 3)
Host
[ hohst ]
/ hoʊst /
noun Ecclesiastical.
the bread or wafer consecrated in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Origin of Host
1275–1325; Middle English
hoste < Late Latin
hostia Eucharistic wafer (Latin: victim, sacrifice); replacing Middle English
oyst < Middle French
oiste < Late Latin, as above
Example sentences from the Web for host
British Dictionary definitions for host (1 of 3)
host
1
/ (həʊst) /
noun
verb
to be the host of (a party, programme, etc)
to host one's own show
(tr) US informal
to leave (a restaurant) without paying the bill
Word Origin for host
C13: from French
hoste, from Latin
hospes guest, foreigner, from
hostis enemy
British Dictionary definitions for host (2 of 3)
Word Origin for host
C13: from Old French
hoste, from Latin
hostis stranger, enemy
British Dictionary definitions for host (3 of 3)
Host
/ (həʊst) /
noun
the bread consecrated in the Eucharist
Word Origin for Host
C14: from Old French
oiste, from Latin
hostia victim
Medical definitions for host
host
[ hōst ]
n.
The animal or plant on which or in which a parasitic organism lives.
The recipient of a transplanted tissue or organ.
Scientific definitions for host
host
[ hōst ]
- The larger of two organisms in a symbiotic relationship.
- An organism or cell on or in which a parasite lives or feeds.♦ A definitive host is an organism in which a parasite reaches sexual maturity. The anopheles mosquito is the definitive host for the malaria plasmodium because, while the mosquito is not adversely affected by the plasmodium's presence, it is the organism in which the plasmodium matures and reproduces.♦ An intermediate host is an organism in which a parasite develops but does not attain sexual maturity. Humans and certain other vertebrates are the intermediate host of the malaria plasmodium.♦ A paratenic host is an organism which may be required for the completion of a parasite's life cycle but in which no development of the parasite occurs. The unhatched eggs of nematodes are sometimes carried in a paratenic host such as a bird or rodent. When a predator eats the paratenic host, the eggs are ingested as well.
The recipient of a transplanted tissue or organ.
A computer containing data or programs that another computer can access by means of a network or modem.