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hospice

hospice, almshouse

noun oh-SPEES Rare

Origin: Latin hospitium (lodging, hospitality)

Also means

care home (for the elderly)

Usage Note

Hospice historically referred to a charitable shelter for pilgrims or the poor (the famous hospice de Beaune in Burgundy is a 15th-century example). In modern French it also means a care home for the elderly or terminally ill, closer to the English 'hospice'. Do not confuse with hôpital (hospital) — an hospice provides longer-term shelter or palliative care rather than acute treatment.

Examples

"Son grand-père réside dans un hospice depuis un an."

Natural Translation

His grandfather has been living in a care home for a year.

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