host.
One which receives or entertains a guest, socially, commercially, or officially.
Meaning & usage
One which receives or entertains a guest, socially, commercially, or officially.
A good host is always considerate of the guest’s needs.
One that provides a facility for an event.
A person or organization responsible for running an event.
Our company is host of the annual conference this year.
A moderator or master of ceremonies for a performance.
The host was terrible, but the acts themselves were good.
The primary member of a system, typically the member who fronts most often.
Any computer attached to a network.
A cell or organism which harbors another organism or biological entity, usually a parasite.
Viruses depend on the host that they infect in order to be able to reproduce.
An organism bearing certain genetic material, with respect to its cells.
The so-called junk DNA is known, so far, to provide no apparent benefit to its host.
A paid male companion offering conversation and in some cases sex, as in certain types of bar in Japan.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstis Proto-Indo-European *pótis Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstipotis Proto-Italic *hostipotis Latin hospes Old French ostebor. Middle English hoste English host From Middle English hoste, from Old French oste (French: hôte), from Latin hospitem, accusative of hospes (“a host, also a sojourner, visitor, guest; hence, a foreigner, a stranger”), from *hostipotis, an old compound of hostis and the root of potis, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstipotis (“master of guests”), from *gʰóstis (“stranger, guest, enemy”) and *pótis (“owner, master, host, husband”). Used in English since 13th century.
To perform the role of a host.
Our company will host the annual conference this year.
I was terrible at hosting that show.
To lodge at an inn.
To run software made available to a remote user or process.
Kremvax hosts a variety of services.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstis Proto-Indo-European *pótis Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstipotis Proto-Italic *hostipotis Latin hospes Old French ostebor. Middle English hoste English host From Middle English hoste, from Old French oste (French: hôte), from Latin hospitem, accusative of hospes (“a host, also a sojourner, visitor, guest; hence, a foreigner, a stranger”), from *hostipotis, an old compound of hostis and the root of potis, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstipotis (“master of guests”), from *gʰóstis (“stranger, guest, enemy”) and *pótis (“owner, master, host, husband”). Used in English since 13th century.
A multitude of people arrayed as an army; used also in religious senses, as: Heavenly host (of angels)
A large number of items; a large inventory.
The dealer stocks a host of parts for my Model A.
There are a host of reasons for this decision.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English oost, borrowed from Old French ost, oste, hoste, from Latin hostis (“foreign enemy”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstis (as opposed to inimicus (“personal enemy”)). Doublet of guest.
The consecrated bread of the Eucharist.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English host, oist, ost, from Old French hoiste, from Latin hostia (“sacrificial victim”). Doublet of hostie.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.