noun
sanatorium
san-uh-TOR-ee-um/ˌsænəˈtɔːriəm/
A medical institution for long-term treatment or recovery.
Patients at the sanatorium receive medical care throughout their long recovery.
Etymology
The adjective meaning “health-giving” became a name for a place where people sought recovery. Early sanatoriums treated invalids and convalescents who might benefit from open air.
In context
the lung poisoning compelled her to a long hospitalisation, followed by a year-long stay in a sanatorium.
More examples
- Her doctor recommends several months in a sanatorium.
- The old sanatorium once treated people with tuberculosis.
- Both sanatoriums provide nursing care and supervised exercise.
Forms
sanatorium · sanatoriums · sanatoria
Similar words
- hospital
- A broader term covering both short-term and long-term medical care.
- sanitarium
- An alternative name for the same kind of medical institution.