host

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See also: Host, höst, hőst, høst, and hosť

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Middle English hoste, from Old French oste (French: hôte), from Latin hospitem, accusative of hospes (a host, also a sojourner, visitor, guest; hence, a foreigner, a stranger), from *hostipotis, an old compound of hostis and the root of potis, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰostipotis (master of guests), from *gʰóstis (stranger, guest, enemy) and *pótis (owner, master, host, husband). Used in English since 13th century.

Noun

host (plural hosts)

  1. One which receives or entertains a guest, socially, commercially, or officially.
    A good host is always considerate of the guest’s needs.
  2. One that provides a facility for an event.
  3. A person or organization responsible for running an event.
    Our company is host of the annual conference this year.
  4. A moderator or master of ceremonies for a performance.
    Synonym: (UK) presenter
    The host was terrible, but the acts themselves were good.
  5. (computing, Internet) Any computer attached to a network.
  6. (ecology) A cell or organism which harbors another organism or biological entity, usually a parasite.
    Viruses depend on the host that they infect in order to be able to reproduce.
    • 2013 May-June, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 193:
      A recent study explored the ecological variables that may contribute to bats’ propensity to harbor such zoonotic diseases by comparing them with another order of common reservoir hosts: rodents.
  7. (evolution, genetics) An organism bearing certain genetic material, with respect to its cells.
    The so-called junk DNA is known, so far, to provide no apparent benefit to its host.
  8. A paid male companion offering conversation and in some cases sex, as in certain types of bar in Japan.
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

host (third-person singular simple present hosts, present participle hosting, simple past and past participle hosted)

  1. To perform the role of a host.
    Our company will host the annual conference this year.
    I was terrible at hosting that show.
    I’ll be hosting tonight. I hope I’m not terrible.
    • 1984 February 4, Suzan Bedrosian, “Sex Lives”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 28, page 4:
      I am quite impressed with the December 10th issue in which it hosted the article by Nancy Langer, "Different Abilities, the Same Queer Pleasures."
    • 2013 May-June, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 193:
      Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola.
  2. (obsolete, intransitive) To lodge at an inn.
  3. (computing, Internet) To run software made available to a remote user or process.
    Kremvax hosts a variety of services.
    • 1987 May 7, Selden E. Ball, Jr., “Re: Ethernet Terminal Concentrators”, in comp.protocols.tcp-ip (Usenet):
      CMU/TEK TCP/IP software uses an excessive amount of cpu resources for terminal support both outbound, when accessing another system, and inbound, when the local system is hosting a session.
Derived terms
Translations

See also

Etymology 2

From Middle English oost, borrowed from Old French ost, oste, hoste, from Latin hostis (foreign enemy), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstis (as opposed to inimicus (personal enemy)). Doublet of guest.

Noun

host (plural hosts)

  1. A multitude of people arrayed as an army; used also in religious senses, as: Heavenly host (of angels)
    • 1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, “ch. X, Plugson of Undershot”, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book III (The Modern Worker):
      Why, Plugson, even thy own host is all in mutiny: Cotton is conquered; but the ‘bare backs’ — are worse covered than ever!
    • 1955 October 20, J R R Tolkien, “chapter 4, The Field of Cormallen”, in The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of The Lord of the Rings , New York, N.Y.: Ballantine Books, published December 1978, →ISBN:
      All about the hosts of Mordor raged.
    • 1977, K.M. Elizabeth Murray, Caught in the Web of Words, Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 173:
      By Lady Day the Scriptorium was ready to receive the "copying and burrowing" of the host of readers who had been directed by Furnivall for the past twenty years.
    • 2001, Carlos Parada, Hesione 2, Greek Mythology Link:
      the invading host that had sailed from Hellas in more than one thousand ships was of an unprecedented size.
  2. A large number of items; a large inventory.
    The dealer stocks a host of parts for my Model A.
    • 1802, William Wordsworth, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud:
      I wandered lonely as a cloud
      That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
      When all at once I saw a crowd,
      A host, of golden daffodils; []
    • 1836, The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction:
      A short time since, some friends drinking tea one summer evening at their residence near Maidenhead, with all the windows of the drawing-room open, there suddenly burst in a host of small flies, which covered the table and the furniture []
    • 2018 June 18, Phil McNulty, “Tunisia 1 – 2 England”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 21 April 2019:
      England ran Tunisia ragged in that spell but were punished for missing a host of chances when Ferjani Sassi equalised from the penalty spot against the run of play after Kyle Walker was penalised for an elbow on Fakhreddine Ben Youssef.
    • 2020 July 29, Ian Prosser discusses with Paul Stephen, “Rail needs robust and strategic plans”, in Rail, page 38:
      In the immediate term, there is a host of new operating procedures to be developed and to become familiarised with, in accordance with social distancing.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English host, oist, ost, from Old French hoiste, from Latin hostia (sacrificial victim). Doublet of hostie.

Noun

host (plural hosts)

  1. (Christianity) The consecrated bread of the Eucharist.
    • 1978, John Lydon (lyrics and music), “Religion II”, performed by Public Image Ltd.:
      Do you pray to the Holy Ghost when you suck your host? / Do you read who's dead in the Irish Post?
Derived terms
Translations

See also

Anagrams

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Old Catalan ost, from Latin hostis, from Proto-Italic *hostis, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstis (guest, stranger).

Pronunciation

Noun

host f (plural hosts)

  1. army, troops

See also

References

Czech

Czech Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia cs

Etymology

Inherited from Old Czech host, from Proto-Slavic *gostь.

Pronunciation

Noun

host m anim (female equivalent hostka)

  1. guest
    Host do domu, Bůh do domu.
    A guest into the house, God into the house. (old proverb, meaning: respect should be shown to guests)
    Host a ryba třetí den smrdí.
    The guest and the fish smell the third day.

Usage

The archaic plural instrumental is hostmi.

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

  • host”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
  • host”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
  • host”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech)

Dutch

Etymology 1

From English host.

Pronunciation

Noun

host m (plural hosts, diminutive hostje n)

  1. (computing) host
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From hossen.

Pronunciation

Verb

host

  1. inflection of hossen:
    1. second/third-person singular present indicative
    2. (archaic) plural imperative

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

Related to hoste ("to cough").

Pronunciation

Noun

host n (definite singular hostet, indefinite plural host, definite plural hosta or hostene)

  1. a single cough expulsion
Usage notes
  • Prior to a 2020 spelling revision, this noun was also considered masculine.

Etymology 2

From English host.

Pronunciation

Noun

host m (definite singular hosten, indefinite plural hoster, definite plural hostene)

  1. (computing) host
Synonyms

Etymology 3

Verb

host

  1. imperative of hoste

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

Related to hosta, hoste ("to cough").

Noun

host n (definite singular hostet, indefinite plural host, definite plural hosta)

  1. a single cough expulsion

Etymology 2

From English host.

Noun

host m (definite singular hosten, indefinite plural hostar, definite plural hostane)

  1. (computing) host
Synonyms

Etymology 3

Verb

host

  1. imperative of hosta

References

Old Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *gostь.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): (13th CE) /ˈɣost/
  • IPA(key): (15th CE) /ˈɦost/

Noun

host m pers (female equivalent hosti)

  1. guest
    host pocěstnýa wayfarer
  2. foreigner

Declension

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Czech: host

Further reading

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

Borrowed from English host. Doublet of gość.

Pronunciation

Noun

host m inan

  1. (networking) host (computer attached to a network)

Declension

Noun

host m pers (female equivalent hostessa)

  1. host, promotional model (person hired to greet customers and guests of a store, hotel, or institution, and advertise goods or provide assistance, giving the necessary information or pointing the way)

Declension

Noun

host m pers

  1. (slang) host (owner of a house, apartment, or guesthouse, as opposed to people renting premises from them)
    Synonym: gospodarz

Declension

Further reading

  • host in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • host in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English host.

Pronunciation

 

Noun

host m (plural hosts)

  1. (networking) host (computer attached to a network)

Slovene

Noun

hóst

  1. genitive dual/plural of họ̑sta

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English host. Doublet of huésped.

Pronunciation

Noun

host m or f (plural hosts)

  1. (computing, Internet) host (any computer attached to a network)
    Synonym: anfitrión

Swedish

Interjection

host

  1. cough