sanitarium

/ˈsænəˌtɛriəm/

Other forms: sanitariums; sanitaria

In the past, someone who was recovering from a long-term illness might stay at a sanitarium, a special kind of hospital. Many sanitariums in the U.S. once treated patients with tuberculosis.

A sanitarium was also often called a sanatorium. Even more confusingly, both words were sometimes used to mean "health resort," something closer to a spa than a hospital. Before antibiotics were invented, the most effective treatment for tuberculosis and other lung diseases was fresh air and healthy food at a sanitarium. The word is rooted in the Latin sanitas, "health."

Definitions of sanitarium

1. noun

   a hospital for recuperation or for the treatment of chronic diseases
   synonyms: sanatarium, sanatorium

   type of:

   hospital, infirmary

   a health facility where patients receive treatment