Hospitality
//ˌhɒs.pɪˈtæl.ɪ.ti// noun
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act or service of welcoming, receiving, hosting, or entertaining guests; an appropriate attitude of openness, respect, and generosity toward guests. countable, uncountable
"Please thank our hosts for their hospitality during the week that we stayed."
- 2 kindness in welcoming guests or strangers wordnet
- 3 The business of providing catering, lodging and entertainment service; the industry which includes the operation of hotels, restaurants, and similar enterprises. countable, uncountable
"After graduating from college, she found a job in hospitality."
- 4 The food, drink, and entertainment given to customers by a company or organization or provided to visitors by a private host. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"I'm afraid I'm imposing on your hospitality."
Etymology
From Middle English hospitalite, from Old French hospitalité (modern French hospitalité), from Latin hospitālitās (“hospitality”), from hospitālis (“hospitable”), from hospes (“guest", "host”). Displaced native Old English cumlīþnes (literally “guest gentleness”).
Related phrases
More for "hospitality"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.