dispensary
Americannoun
plural
dispensaries-
a place where something is dispensed, especially medicines.
-
a charitable or public facility where medicines are furnished and free or inexpensive medical advice is available.
noun
Etymology
Origin of dispensary
1690–1700; < Medieval Latin dispēnsāria storeroom, equivalent to Latin dispēns ( āre ) to dispense + -āria -ary
Explanation
A dispensary is the room or area in a hospital where medicine is prepared and given out to patients. You can use the term dispensary when you talk about the office within a hospital — or occasionally other places, like schools — from which prescriptions can be distributed. A dispensary is often run by a pharmacist, doctor, or nurse, who is authorized to dispense — or hand out — medicine. The root is the Latin word dispensarius, "one who dispenses," from dispensare, "disburse, administer, or distribute by weight."
Vocabulary lists containing dispensary
Latin Love, Vol III: pendere
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Invisible Son
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Artist Tree Studio Dispensary Lounge, the other WeHo consumption lounge that offers an on-site food option, collaborates with nearby Fresh Corn Grill to get the goods across the street and to the table.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 2, 2023
The same year, the Sir Ganga Ram Free Hospital and Dispensary was established in the heart of Lahore.
From BBC • Aug. 11, 2022
In 2020, the rat also won a gold medal from the Britain-based People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, considered the highest award for gallantry an animal can receive.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 12, 2022
The African giant pouched rat even received a gold medal in 2020 from Britain's People's Dispensary for Sick Animals for "lifesaving bravery and devotion to duty".
From Reuters • Jan. 12, 2022
Mam gets the relief and the food dockets till someone informs on her and she’s cut off from the Dispensary.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
