different between inpatient vs inmate

English

Alternative forms

• in-patient

Etymology

in +? patient

Noun

inpatient (plural inpatients)

1. (healthcare) A patient whose treatment needs at least one night's residence in a hospital; a hospitalized patient.
   • 1998, Maria Owings, Lola Jean Kozak, Ambulatory and Inpatient Procedures in the United States, 1996, Issue 139

     For three of the four regions, the number and rate of procedures was higher in inpatient than in ambulatory settings, but in the Midwest the differences between settings were not statistically significant.

Antonyms

• outpatient

Translations

English

Etymology

From inn +? mate, or from in- +? mate.

Noun

inmate (plural inmates)

1. A person confined to an institution such as a prison (as a convict) or hospital (as a patient).
2. A person who shares a residence (such as a hotel guest, a lodger, or a student living on campus), or other place.

Usage notes

Perhaps around 1970, television journalists began to use the word as a euphemism for prisoner, and this has become the primary, if not only, definition among younger generations. When speaking of persons receiving medical services, patient may be preferred instead.

Derived terms

• inmatehood

Translations

Anagrams

• Tamien, Tieman, etamin, inmeat, taimen, tamine