What does hospitalised mean?
Hospitalised describes someone who has been admitted to a hospital for medical treatment and remains a patient there. It is used with people, conditions, and treatment outcomes: a person may be hospitalised, a patient may remain hospitalised, and a condition may affect hospitalised patients. The word is also the past tense and past participle of the verb hospitalise, as in “The injured driver was hospitalised overnight.” In British English this is the standard spelling, while American English normally writes “hospitalized.” The term is formal and clinical, implying admission rather than a brief visit to an emergency department. Because it specifically indicates that someone is receiving inpatient care, it should not be used merely to describe attending a hospital appointment.
Admitted to a hospital and receiving treatment as an inpatient.
"The hospitalised patients remained under close observation."
Common in British English; the US form is “hospitalized.”
Past tense and past participle of hospitalise: to admit someone to a hospital for treatment.
"She was hospitalised after the accident."
Common in British English; the US form is “hospitalized.”
Behind hospitalised lies the idea of hospitality: its ultimate Latin root, hospes, meant both “guest” and “host.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hospitalised come from?
The word was formed in English by adding the suffix -ise to hospital, with hospitalised representing its past tense and past participle. Hospital ultimately comes through Medieval Latin hospitale from Latin hospes, an ancient term meaning “guest” or “host.” The same root also underlies hospitality, hospitable, and hospice, reflecting the original sense of receiving or caring for guests.
How hospitalised is actually used
The spelling is standard in British English; American English normally uses “hospitalized.” The word is formal and clinical, commonly describing admission to or treatment in a hospital.