lazaretto

Definitions

from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  • noun A hospital for the reception of patients with infectious diseases; also, a prison hospital. At seaports the name is often given to a vessel used for this purpose.
  • noun A building or vessel where ships' crews, passengers, and goods are detained during quarantine.
  • noun In some large merchant ships, a place near the stern where provisions and stores for the voyage are kept.

Examples

Note

This word is a blend of the Italian 'lazzaro, lazar,' which comes from the Late Latin Lazarus, who in the Bible was brought back to life, and the dialectal Nazareto, the popular name for a hospital in Venice.