海角大神

Until a few weeks ago, I would have said the most important thing about the word accommodate is that it has two 鈥渃鈥檚鈥� and two 鈥渕鈥檚.鈥� It鈥檚 one of those words an editor reflexively checks for spelling whenever it appears, even in other people鈥檚 publications.

But then came the incident in which police officers dragged an airline passenger off a plane in Chicago after he declined to deplane 鈥渧oluntarily鈥� with three others to make room for four airline employees en route to their next assignment.

United Airlines president Oscar Munoz offended multitudes with an initial tweet that reeked of Orwellian corporatespeak: 鈥淚 apologize for having to re-
accommodate these customers.鈥�

His follow-up efforts sounded more heartfelt. But cellphone videos of David Dao being banged into armrests as he was dragged down the aisle of United Flight 3411 have given new meaning to the expression 鈥渂umped from a flight.鈥�

Dr. Dao鈥檚 鈥渞e-accommodation鈥� turned out to be in a Chicago hospital.

But accommodate ought to suggest things that 鈥減roperly fit together,鈥� as John Kelly noted on the Mashed Radish etymology blog. As in passengers in airplane seats, personnel on the roster, and flights in the air, we might add.

Accommodate comes from Latin, and as Mr. Kelly writes, 鈥渉as three basic parts: Ac- (from ad, 鈥榯o鈥�), and commodare (鈥榯o provide, fit, oblige鈥�), in turn composed of com- (from cum, 鈥榯ogether,鈥� here in an intensive sense of 鈥榓ltogether鈥�), and modus.鈥�

The word has a wide range of meanings: giving someone space, time (鈥渁ccommodating your schedule鈥�), or flexibility (鈥渁ccommodating his meal preferences鈥�).

The United episode should have been an exchange of one of these for another: 鈥淚f you can accommodate us by giving up your seat, we can accommodate you on a flight leaving in just an hour.鈥�

But when something that starts out as a free-market transaction between buyer and seller ends with a police intervention, it can be hard to remember that the airlines are part of what鈥檚 broadly defined as 鈥渢he hospitality industry.鈥�

Was Dao, in a Chicago hospital, receiving 鈥渉ospitality鈥� 鈥� or just medical care? How are hospital and hospitality related?

Hospital came into English in the mid-13th century meaning a 鈥渟helter for the needy,鈥� according to the Online Etymology Dictionary. It was borrowed from an Old French word meaning 鈥渉ostel, shelter, lodging,鈥� the dictionary adds, and its ultimate source is a Latin root, hospes, meaning host or guest.

By the early 15th century, hospital meant specifically a 鈥渃haritable institution鈥� to house the needy. By the 1540s, the word meant an institution for the 鈥渟ick or wounded.鈥�

Hospital, hostel, and hotel are all fairly close word cousins, branching from that same Latin root with, historically, some overlap in meaning.

All three are very accommodating, in different ways. Let鈥檚 hope they don鈥檛 have to do any 鈥渞e-accommodating鈥� again anytime soon.