Lazarets

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A facility used to isolate individuals from the healthy population due to contagious disease exposure
2. a quarantine area specifically designated for ill persons or those suspected of carrying infectious ailments
3. a place set apart for the care and observation of patients with communicable diseases, often associated with maritime contexts

Etymology: The plural of "lazaret," a word for a place where travelers or goods were isolated to stop the spread of disease. English borrowed the singular from French "lazaret," which came from Italian "lazzaretto" (also spelled "lazzareto" or "lazzeretto"). The Italian word is generally linked to Lazarus, the biblical beggar and patron saint of lepers, though its exact origin is uncertain. English also has "lazaretto," which comes from the same Italian source. The two forms are doublets: one entered through French, the other directly from Italian, so they carry the same meaning in slightly different shapes.