• Hotel

    Pronunciation

    • UK IPA: /(h)əʊˈteÉ«/
    • US enPR: hō-tÄ•lʹ, IPA: /hoʊˈtÉ›l/
    • Rhymes: -el
    • Rhymes: -É›l

    Origin

    From French hôtel. Compare hostel.

    Full definition of hotel

    Noun

    hotel

    (plural hotels)
    1. (now chiefly historical) A large town house or mansion; a grand private residence, especially in France. from 17th c.
    2. An establishment that provides accommodation and other services for paying guests; normally larger than a guesthouse, and often one of a chain. from 17th c.
    3. The letter H in the ICAO spelling alphabet. from 20th c.
    4. The larger red property in the game of Monopoly, in contradistinction to houses.
    5. The guest accommodation and dining section of a cruise ship.

    Usage notes

    The UK pronunciation omitting the initial h is in imitation of the French hôtel and is now considered old-fashioned.

    The practice of using the indefinite article an in front of a polysyllabic word staring with an unemphasised syllable beginning with an aitch, like hotel and historical, will be seen in older quotations but has become absent or quite rare in almost all circles.

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