pesthouse
Definition
Noun: 1. A hospital or building for the isolation and treatment of people with infectious diseases, especially in historical contexts: A "pesthouse" is a specialized facility, now largely archaic, used to quarantine and care for individuals suffering from highly contagious diseases, such as plague, leprosy, or smallpox, to prevent the spread of illness to the general population.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- During the plague outbreak, the sick were taken to the pesthouse outside the city walls.
- The old pesthouse on the hill served as a quarantine station for sailors with infectious diseases.
- Historical records show the town council voted to build a pesthouse during the epidemic.
Advanced Usage
- The term is primarily used in historical, medical, or sociological discussions about public health measures before the modern era of medicine.
- It often carries connotations of fear, stigma, and compulsory isolation.
Variants and Related Words
- Lazaretto (noun): Another term for a quarantine station for maritime travelers or a hospital for infectious diseases.
- Leprosarium (noun): A hospital or colony specifically for the treatment and isolation of people with leprosy (Hansen's disease).
- Quarantine station (noun): A modern, more general term for a place where people or animals are isolated to prevent the spread of disease.
Synonyms
- Isolation hospital
- Lazaretto
- Quarantine hospital
- Sanatorium (in some historical contexts for infectious diseases)
Antonyms
- General hospital
- Outpatient clinic
Related Phrases/Idioms
- To be sent to the pesthouse: An archaic phrase meaning to be isolated due to a contagious illness. It implies removal from society.
- In the 18th century, a diagnosis of smallpox could mean you would be sent to the pesthouse.
Noun
-
hospital for persons with infectious diseases (especially leprosy)
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