In Ruchir's answer here, he specifies the word 'anarthrous' (before editing). I could not find any satisfactory definition/description about it in popular dictionaries that we find online.
Anyone here to describe this? What is 'anarthrous' in the context of the English grammar. Wikitionary talks about it but I did not get it completely. MW too has an entry but it is limited in description.
Some more explication: American: I went to the hospital. British: I went to hospital.
Proper nouns are generally anarthrous, e.g. France, Russia etc. but there are exceptions, e.g. the United States of America, the Maldives and the Philippines, which are plural, and the Ukraine, which is now referred to sans article. An article can change the meaning of a sentence: "Do you have the time?" is likely a request to check your watch, "Do you have time?" is asking for your attention.
