Sanitarium vs. Sanatorium

Is there a difference between sanitarium and sanatorium? A search over the net brings some pages which say that there's not much difference. For example, this article says there is one difference but it does not seem like a reasonable difference to me. So, is there really a difference between the two and which one is used in the modern world?

Solution 1:

When I was growing up, 70 years ago, the usage of the words was a SANITARIUM was a mental institution, and a SANITORIUM was a place for people to convalesce, mostly from tuberculosis. The two words were NOT used interchangeably!

Solution 2:

According to the Grammarist there is no difference in meaning. Sanitarium is more common in AmE as shown here while sanatorium appears to be common both in BrE and AmE

• Sanatorium and sanitarium are two words that are very close in spelling and pronunciation. We will look at the difference between the words sanatorium and sanitarium and some examples of their use in sentences.

• A sanatorium is a facility where people with chronic illnesses or a need to convalesce are treated. Sanatoriums were first established in the 1800s, mostly to treat tuberculosis. The purposes of a sanatorium was to first, isolate the afflicted from the healthy population and second, afford the patient a healthy environment in which to heal. Before the advent of antibiotics, tuberculosis was a scourge on the population.

• A sanitarium is also a facility where people with chronic illnesses or a need to convalesce are treated. The plural forms are sanitariums or sanitaria.

• The terms sanatorium and sanitarium are interchangeable, however, sanitarium is primarily a North American word. The difference between the words is their origin, though it is not much of a difference. The word sanitorium is derived from the Late Latin word sanitorius, which means health-giving. The word sanitarium is derived from the Latin word sanitas, which means health.