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host

Pronunciation: /həʊst/

The English word “host” has 15 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. One which receives or entertains a guest, socially, commercially, or officially.
  2. One that provides a facility for an event.
  3. A person or organization responsible for running an event.
  4. A moderator or master of ceremonies for a performance.
  5. The primary member of a system, typically the member who fronts most often.
  6. Any computer attached to a network.
  7. A cell or organism which harbors another organism or biological entity, usually a parasite.
  8. An organism bearing certain genetic material, with respect to its cells.
  9. A paid male companion offering conversation and in some cases sex, as in certain types of bar in Japan.
  10. A multitude of people arrayed as an army; used also in religious senses, as: Heavenly host (of angels)
  11. A large number of items; a large inventory.
  12. The consecrated bread of the Eucharist.

verb

  1. To perform the role of a host.
  2. To lodge at an inn.
  3. To run software made available to a remote user or process.

Etymology

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”).…

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.