• (British) IPA: /həʊst/
• (America) IPA: /hoʊst/

1. One which receives or entertains a guest, socially, commercially, or officially.

   A good host is always considerate of the guest’s needs.

   • c. 1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act III, scene iii]:

     Time is like a fashionable host, / That slightly shakes his parting guest by the hand.

2. One that provides a facility for an event.
3. A person or organization responsible for running an event.

   Our company is host of the annual conference this year.

4. A moderator or master of ceremonies for a performance.

   The host was terrible, but the acts themselves were good.

5. (computing, Internet) Any computer attached to a network.
6. (ecology) A cell or organism which harbors another organism or biological entity, usually a parasite.

   Viruses depend on the host that they infect in order to be able to reproduce.

7. (evolution, genetics) An organism bearing certain genetic material.

   The so-called junk DNA is known, so far, to provide no apparent benefit to its host.

8. A paid male companion offering conversation and in some cases sex, as in certain types of bar in Japan.

• presenter (UK)

• French: hôte, maître de maison, maître de maison, amphitryon at a meal
• German: Gastgeber, Bewirter
• Italian: ospitante, anfitrione at a meal
• Portuguese: anfitrião
• Russian: хозя́ин
• Spanish: anfitrión, hospedador, hospedero

• French: organisateur, animateur
• German: Veranstalter, Organisator, Organisator
• Italian: organizzatore
• Portuguese: organizador, realizador
• Russian: веду́щий
• Spanish: anfitrión, anfitriona, organizador

• German: Moderator, Showmaster
• Italian: moderatore
• Portuguese: mediador, apresentador, anfitrião
• Russian: веду́щий
• Spanish: maestro de ceremonias, conductor

• French: hôte
• Italian: host
• Portuguese: host, hospedeiro, anfitrião
• Russian: хост

• French: hôte
• German: Wirt
• Italian: ospite
• Portuguese: hospedeiro
• Russian: кле́тка-хозя́ин
• Spanish: hospedante, hospedador qual adj., huésped

• German: Träger, Trägerin
• Russian: носи́тель

host (hosts, present participle hosting; past and past participle hosted)

1. To perform the role of a host.

   Our company will host the annual conference this year.

   I was terrible at hosting that show.

   I’ll be hosting tonight. I hope I’m not terrible.

2. (obsolete, intransitive) To lodge at an inn.
   • c. 1604–1605, William Shakespeare, “All’s VVell, that Ends VVell”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act III, scene v]:

     Where you shall host.

3. (computing, Internet) To run software made available to a remote user or process.
   • 1987 May 7, Selden E. Ball, Jr., Re: Ethernet Terminal Concentrators, comp.protocols.tcp-ip, Usenet

     CMU/TEK TCP/IP software uses an excessive amount of cpu resources for terminal support both outbound, when accessing another system, and inbound, when the local system is hosting a session.

   Kremvax hosts a variety of services.

• French: recevoir, animer (show)
• German: Gastgeber sein, aufnehmen, organisieren, durchführen
• Italian: ospitare
• Portuguese: hospedar
• Spanish: alojar, albergar

• French: héberger
• German: bereitstellen
• Portuguese: hospedar
• Spanish: alojar

host (plural hosts)

1. A multitude of people arrayed as an army; used also in religious senses, as: Heavenly host (of angels)
   • 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present (book), book 3, ch. X, Plugson of Undershot

     Why, Plugson, even thy own host is all in mutiny: Cotton is conquered; but the ‘bare backs’ — are worse covered than ever!

   • 1955, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Return of the King, book 2, chapter 4, The Field of Cormallen

     All about the hosts of Mordor raged.

   • 2001, Carlos Parada, Hesione 2, [https://web.archive.org/web/20011218163821/http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/Hesione2.html Greek Mythology Link]

     the invading host that had sailed from Hellas in more than one thousand ships was of an unprecedented size.

2. A large number of items; a large inventory.

   The dealer stocks a host of parts for my Model A.

   • 1802, William Wordsworth, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

     I wandered lonely as a cloud
     That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
     When all at once I saw a crowd,
     A host, of golden daffodils; […]

   • 1836, The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction

     A short time since, some friends drinking tea one summer evening at their residence near Maidenhead, with all the windows of the drawing-room open, there suddenly burst in a host of small flies, which covered the table and the furniture […]

• French: ost, armée
• German: Heer
• Portuguese: hoste
• Russian: рать
• Spanish: hueste

• Russian: мно́жество

host (plural hosts)

1. (Christianity) The consecrated bread or wafer of the Eucharist.

• French: hostie
• German: Hostie
• Italian: ostia
• Portuguese: hóstia, partícula
• Russian: облатка
• Spanish: hostia