• hoast (obsolete)

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /həʊst/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /hoʊst/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊst

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 *gʰóstipotis (“master of guests”), from *gʰóstis (“stranger, guest, enemy”) and *pótis (“owner, master, host, husband”). Used in English since 13th century.

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.

   • c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:

     Time is like a fashionable host, / That slightly shakes his parting guest by the hand.

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. (multiplicity) The primary member of a system, typically the member who fronts most often.
6. (computing, Internet) Any computer attached to a network.
7. (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.

8. (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.

9. A paid male companion offering conversation and in some cases sex, as in certain types of bar in Japan.

• (computing): localhost

• hotel
• hospitable
• hospital
• hospitality

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.
   • c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v]:

     Where you shall host.

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 (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.

• compere
• guest
• event
• master of ceremonies

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.

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[offin] 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[ohn] R[onald] R[euel] 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^[1], 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.

• heavenly host
• Lord of Hosts

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

host (plural hosts)

1. (Christianity) The consecrated bread of the Eucharist.

   Synonym: Body of Christ (believers' term)

   • 1978, John Lydon, “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?

• host desecration

• HOTs, Soth, TOSH, Thos., Tosh, hots, oths, shot, tosh

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

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈɔst]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

host f (plural hosts)

1. army, troops

• exèrcit

• “host”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “host”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “host” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “host” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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

• IPA^(key): [ˈɦost]

• Audio:

  (file)

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.

The archaic plural instrumental is hostmi.

• “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), 2008–2026

From English host.

• IPA^(key): /ɦoːst/
• Rhymes: -ɔst

host m (plural hosts, diminutive hostje n)

1. (computing) host

• hosten

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

• IPA^(key): /ɦɔst/

• Audio:

  (file)

host

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

Related to hoste ("to cough").

• IPA^(key): /hust/
• Rhymes: -ust

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

1. a single cough expulsion

• Prior to a 2020 spelling revision, this noun was also considered masculine.

From English host.

• IPA^(key): /hɔust/
• Rhymes: -ɔust

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

1. (computing) host

• vertsmaskin

host

1. imperative of hoste

• “host” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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

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

1. a single cough expulsion

From English host.

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

1. (computing) host

• vertsmaskin

host

1. imperative of hosta

• “host” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *gostь.

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

host m pers (female equivalent hosti)

1. guest

   host pocěstný ― a wayfarer

2. foreigner

• Czech: host

• Jan Gebauer (1903–1916), “host”, in Slovník staročeský (in Czech), Prague: Česká grafická společnost "unie", Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění

Borrowed from English host. Doublet of gość.

• IPA^(key): /ˈxɔst/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔst
• Syllabification: host

host m inan

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

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)

host m pers

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

   Synonym: gospodarz

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

Unadapted borrowing from English host.

host m (plural hosts)

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

• “host”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

hóst

1. genitive dual/plural of họ̑sta

Borrowed from English host. Doublet of huésped.

• IPA^(key): /ˈxost/ [ˈxost̪]
• Rhymes: -ost
• Syllabification: host

host m or f (plural host)

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

   Synonym: anfitrión

host

1. cough

• hosta

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