We all know what a hospital is. We may spend a few hours there or it could be a few days — the duration depends upon the seriousness of the illness or the injury. The important thing, however, is that most patients who go to a hospital hope to come back alive — and many of them actually do.
The fact that we may spend some time there should not come as a surprise, for the word ‘hospital’ comes from the Latin ‘hospitale’ meaning ‘guest house’. In the past, it referred to the shelter provided by churches and monasteries to weary travelers. With the passage of time, the word took on the meaning that we are familiar with today.  

A ‘hospice’ is very different from a hospital. Only the terminally ill are usually admitted to one. In other words, those who are seriously ill and have no chance of recovery are admitted to Hospice. Someone who is admitted to a hospice knows that he will be dying there. The function of the medical staff in a hospice is not to cure a patient of his illness, but to keep him as comfortable as possible till his death. The word ‘hospice’ consists of two syllables. The first (hos) rhymes with the words ‘boss’, ‘loss’ and ‘toss’, while the second (pis) rhymes with ‘miss’, ‘kiss’ and ‘hiss’.
It can be offered in two types of settings — at home or in a facility such as a nursing home, hospital, or even in a separate hospice center.