ospadal
masculine
The English word 'hospital' is translated into Gaelic as ospadal. If unsure, use ospadal. Wiktionary also lists taigh-leighis and taigh-eiridinn.
Meaning: large medical facility (noun)
Ways to say it
| Gaelic | Note |
|---|---|
| ospadal | masculine |
| taigh-leighis | masculine |
| taigh-eiridinn | masculine |
| taigh-tinnis | masculine |
The word ospadal is the most common term used in modern, everyday Gaelic to refer to a large medical facility.
What does it mean word for word?
The term taigh-leigheis is a compound of taigh (house) and leigheis (medicine).
Which one should you use?
While ospadal is a direct loanword from the Latin/English 'hospital', taigh-leigheis is a native Gaelic construction.
How does it change in a sentence?
All provided forms of the word are masculine nouns.
Did you know?
- The Gaelic word ospadal shares a root with the English word 'hospitality'. Both come from the Latin hospes, which could mean either a 'host' or a 'guest'.
- The word taigh used in taigh-leigheis is the same word used for a simple 'house', showing how Gaelic often builds complex institutional names from basic domestic words.
- The shift toward using ospadal over taigh-leigheis reflects the historical influence of Anglo-Norman and Latin administrative terms on the Gaelic language.
Examples in context
- Tha an ospadal mòr an seo.The large hospital is here.
- Tha mi a' dol gu an ospadal.I am going to the hospital.
Example conversation
Mairead and Finlay are talking about a friend's location.
- MaireadCàite a bheil Calum?Where is Calum?
- FinlayTha e anns an ospadal.He is in the hospital.
- MaireadA bheil e beairm?Is he okay?
- FinlayTha an ospadal ag innse dhomh a bheil e gu math.The hospital is telling me he is doing well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hospital” translations and entries ospadal, taigh-leighis, taigh-eiridinn, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ospadal, CC BY-SA 4.0.
