Nosocomial

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌnɒ.sə(ʊ)ˈkəʊ.mi.əl/

Definitions

1. Relating to or acquired in a hospital, especially referring to infections contracted by patients during their stay in a medical facility
2. Pertaining to infections that are originated or spread within a healthcare setting, particularly those affecting patients during hospitalization
3. Describing pathogens or conditions that are transmitted or occurred in a hospital environment, primarily affecting those receiving medical care

Etymology: Ancient Greek had a word for a hospital, and it was built from the verb for caring for the sick. "Nosokomeion" joined "nosos" (disease) with "komeo" (to look after, tend), and the suffix "-eion" marked a place, so the literal sense is roughly "a place for tending the ill." Late Latin borrowed it as "nosocomium," meaning hospital or infirmary, and that is the stem from which the English adjective descends. English added its own suffix "-al," meaning "of or pertaining to," to produce "nosocomial," so the word means literally "pertaining to a hospital." The adjective was formed on Latin roots in the modern period, so its coinage is a deliberate learned formation rather than an ancient inheritance, and it is used of infections and other conditions that a patient picks up during hospital care.

Synonyms: hospital-acquired