Emily Dickinson Lexicon

HORTI-CUL-TURE, n. [L. hortus, a garden, and cultura, culture, from colo, to till.]

The cultivation of a garden; or the art of cultivating gardens.

HOR-TI-CUL'TUR-IST, n.

One who is skilled in the art of cultivating gardens.

HOR'TU-LAN, a. [L. hortulanus.]

Belonging to a garden; as, a hortulan calendar. Evelyn.

HOR'TUS-SIC-CUS, n. [HOR'TUS SIC-CUS; L.]

Literally, a dry garden; an appellation given to a collection of specimens of plants, carefully dried and preserved. The old name of Herbarium. Encyc.

HORT'YARD, n.

An orchard – which see.

HO-SAN'NA, n. [s as z. Heb. save, I beseech you.]

An exclamation of praise to God, or an invocation of blessings. In the Hebrew ceremonies, it was a prayer rehearsed on the several days of the feast of tabernacles, in which this word was often repeated. Encyc.

HOSE, n. [plur. hosen or hose; pron. hoze, ho'zn. Sax. hos, a heel, a thorn or twig, and hose; G. hose; D. kous; W. hos, hosan, from hws, a covering, a housing; Fr. chausse; Ir. asan. The Welsh unites this word with house. The hose or hosan was a garment covering the legs and thighs, like the modern long trowsers. Hence in G. hosen-gurt, a hose-girt, is a waist-band; and hosen-träger, hose-supporter, or shoulder-strap, indicates that the hose was sustained, as breeches and pantaloons now are, by suspenders or braces.]

1. Breeches or trowsers. Shak.
2. Stockings; coverings for the legs. This word, in mercantile use, is synonymous with stockings, though originally a very different garment.
3. A leathern pipe, used with fire-engines, for conveying water to extinguish fires.

HO'SIER, n. [ho'zhur.]

One who deals in stockings and socks, &c.

HO'SIER-Y, n. [ho'zhury.]

Stockings in general; socks.

HOS'PI-TA-BLE, a. [L. hospitalis, from hospes, a guest; It. ospitale and ospitabile. Hospes, is from the Celtic; W. osb, a stranger or wanderer, a guest; Arm. osb, osp, hospyd. See Host.]

1. Receiving and entertaining strangers with kindness and without reward; kind to strangers and guests; disposed to treat guests with generous kindness; as, a hospitable man.
2. Proceeding from or indicating kindness to guests; manifesting generosity; as, a hospitable table; hospitable rites. Dryden.
3. Inviting to strangers; offering kind reception; indicating hospitality. To where yon taper cheers the vale, / With hospitable ray. Goldsmith.

HOS'PI-TA-BLY, adv.

With kindness to strangers or guests; with generous and liberal entertainment. Prior. Swift.

HOS'PI-TAGE, n.

Hospitality. [Obs.] Spenser.

HOS'PI-TAL, a.

Hospitable. [Not in use.] Howell.

HOS'PI-TAL, n. [Fr. hôpital, for hospital; L. hospitalis, supra.]

1. A building appropriated for the reception of sick, infirm and helpless paupers, who are supported and nursed by charity; also, a house for the reception of insane persons, whether paupers or not, or for seamen, soldiers, foundlings, &c. who are supported by the public, or by private charity, or for infected persons, &c.
2. A place for shelter or entertainment. [Obs.] Spenser.

HOS'PI-TAL-ER, n. [from hospital.]

Properly, one residing in a hospital for the purpose of receiving the poor and strangers. The hospitalers were an order of knights who built a hospital at Jerusalem for pilgrims. They were called knights of St. John, and are the same as the knights of Malta. Encyc.

HOS-PI-TAL'I-TY, n. [Fr. hospitalité; L. hospitalitas; W. ysbyd. See Hospitable.]

The act or practice of receiving and entertaining strangers or guests without reward, or with kind and generous liberality. A bishop – must be given to hospitality. 1 Tim. iii. Hospitality I have found as universal as the fate of man. Ledyard.

HOS'PI-TATE, v.i. [L. hospitor.]

To reside or lodge under the roof of another. [Not used.] Grew.

HOS'PI-TATE, v.t.

To lodge a person. [Not used.]

HOS'PO-DAR, n.

In Moldavia and Wallachia, a governor, chief or prince.

HOST, n. [Fr. hôte, for hoste; It. oste; Sp. huesped; Port. hospede; and L. hostis, a stranger, an enemy, probably of the same family. See Hospitable. The sense is a stranger or foreigner, that is, a wanderer or traveler, from some root signifying to wander, to go or pass, or to visit. See Class Gs, No. 5, 14, 16.]

1. One who entertains another at his own house, without reward. Homer never entertained guests or hosts with long speeches. Sidney.
2. One who entertains another at his house for reward; an innkeeper; a landlord.
3. A guest; one who is entertained at the house of another. The innkeeper says of the traveler, he has a good host, and the traveler says of his landlord, he has a kind host. [See Guest.] Encyc.

HOST, n. [L. hostis, a stranger, an enemy. The sense is probably transferred from a single foe to an army of foes.]

1. An army; a number of men embodied for war.
2. Any great number of multitude.

HOST, n. [L. hostia, a victim or sacrifice, from hostis, an enemy; Fr. hostie; applied to the Savior, who was offered for the sins of men.]

In the Romish church, the sacrifice of the mass, or the consecrated wafer, representing the body of Christ, or as the Romanists alledge, transubstantiated into his own body. Encyc.

HOST, v.i.

To lodge at an inn; to take up entertainment. [Little used.] Shak.

HOST, v.t.

To give entertainment to. [Not used.] Spenser.

HOS'TAGE, n. [Fr. ôtage, for ostage; It. ostaggio; Arm. ostaich; G. geissel; W. gwystyl, a pledge, pawn, surety, hostage.]

A person delivered to an enemy or hostile power, as a pledge to secure the performance of the conditions of a treaty or stipulations of any kind, and on the performance of which the person is to be released. Bacon. Atterbury.