Spanish word

internar

Pronunciation

IPA/inteɾˈnaɾ/

Meaning

  • verbadmit to hospital

Example

El médico va a internar al paciente.

The doctor is going to admit the patient to the hospital.

Illustration for internar (admit to hospital)

More examples

El médico decidió internar a la paciente por una infección.

The doctor decided to admit the patient to hospital for an infection.

Core concept

Nurse filling out hospital admission paperwork for a patient.

Common phrases

  • internar a alguien por una infección

    admit someone to hospital for an infection

  • internar a alguien para tratamiento

    admit someone to hospital for treatment

Similar words

ingresar: Registers and admits a patient into a hospital for an inpatient stay.
hospitalizar: Places a patient under hospital care, starting formal inpatient treatment.

Definition in Spanish

Admitir a una persona en un hospital u otra institución para recibir atención médica o vigilancia.

Word origin

Derived from Latin internus 'internal' with a Romance verb suffix, literally 'to place inside' and hence 'to admit someone into an institution for care'.

Usage tips

  • Spanish commonly expresses 'someone admitted me' with a construction like me internaron rather than the passive phrasing English speakers might expect.

Other meanings

  • be hospitalizedverb
  • internverb

Opposites

  • dar el altadischargeverb

Related words

  • internamientohospital admissionnoun
  • internaciónhospitalizationnoun

Word lists with this word