Word of the Day: Host
host
host / hōst
noun
1. one who entertains guests
A merry host makes merry guests.
Dutch Proverb
2. one who is an emcee or moderator for a broadcast program
I cannot sing, dance or act; what else would I be but a talk show host.
David Letterman, 1947 –
3. one who runs an inn, hotel or similar facility
The body is not a permanent dwelling, but a sort of inn which is to be left behind when one perceives that one is a burden to the host.
Seneca the Younger. 4 BC – 65
4. one that provides facilities and other support for an event
When they did, Uruguay was selected as the host of the first FIFA tournament—or “World Cup” as it was already being called.
From “World Cup” by Matt Christopher, 1917 – 1997
5. an organism harboring a parasite
Ticks find their hosts by detecting animals´ breath and body odors, or by sensing body heat, moisture, and vibrations.
“How ticks spread disease”, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/ticks/life_cycle_and_hosts.html, accessed November 22, 2021
6. one who receives an organ or tissue in a transplant
How could the host distinguish another person’s skin from his own?
Joseph Murray, 1919 – 2012
7. a computer or similar device that can be accessed by remote users
A host must have an assigned IP address. Therefore, modems, hubs, and switches are not considered hosts because they do not have assigned IP addresses.
Learn Tomato, “What is a Client? What is a Server? And What is a Host?”, www. learntomato.flashrouters.com/what-is-a-client-what-is-a-server-what-is-a-host, May 9, 2014
8. also Host, the communion wafer, representing the bread of the Last Supper, in a Christian Communion rite
The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white Host.
Fulton J. Sheen, 1895 – 1979
9. a large gathering; a multitude
Better have one bee than a host of flies.
Italian Proverb
10. an army
In the morning, when either host saw the other, the northern host was well comforted, for they thought King Arthur’s force was but small.
From “King Arthur’s Knights” by Henry Gilbert, 1868 – 1937
verb
1. to receive guests, to entertain
George D. Widener of Philadelphia and his wife Eleanor hosted a special dinner party for Captain Smith in the Titanic’s à la carte restaurant.
From “The Last Night on the Titanic: Unsinkable Drinking, Dining, and Style” by Veronica Hinke
2. to serve as a master of ceremonies
When you host a show you have to hopefully be funny at the top and set the tone for a really fun evening.
Amy Poehler, 1971 –
3. to provide computer software or hardware use over a network
Websites are hosted on servers – and once they’ve been hosted they are made available on the internet for anyone to access them.
Hendrik Human, “Types of Web Hosting [All You Need to Know to Be a Pro], www. review42.com/resources/types-of-web-hosting, November 16, 2021
etymology
As a multitude or army, from the Latin masculine noun hostis, originally meaning “enemy’ and later “army” through the Old French and Middle English noun (h)ost (an invading army). As a person who receives or entertains another or as a verb meaning to entertain, or act as the host of someone or some occasion, “host” comes from the Latin masculine noun hospes, hospitis (stranger, guest, host) through the Old French and Middle English noun (h)oste (guest, host). As the Eucharistic wafer or bread of Christian sacred communion, from the Latin feminine noun hostia, hostiae (sacrificial victim) through the Old French noun hoiste/oiste and the MiddleEnglish noun hoste, both of which can refer to a sacrificial victim or the Eucharistic bread/wafer.
Thank you to Allen Ward for providing the etymology for host.
