Chiefly British; a cheap rooming house or hotel. SYN. doss-house.
ETYM Old Eng. hostel, ostel, Old Fren. hostel, ostel, Late Lat. hospitale, hospitalis, from Latin hospitalis. Related to Hospital, Hotel.
(Homonym: hostile).
1. A hotel for travelers; SYN. hostelry, inn, lodge.
2. Inexpensive supervised lodging (especially for youths on bicycling trips); SYN. youth hostel, student lodging.