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infirmary

[in-fur-muh-ree]
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noun, plural in·fir·ma·ries.
  1. a place for the care of the infirm, sick, or injured; hospital or facility serving as a hospital: a school infirmary.
  2. a dispensary.
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Origin of infirmary

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English word from Medieval Latin word infirmāria. See infirm, -ary
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for infirmary

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The infirmary seems to have been the most cheerful place in the monastery.

    English Villages

    P. H. Ditchfield

  • I got out of the vehicle with the infirmary attendant and his assistant.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

  • He was taken into the infirmary, and when there he had confessed everything.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

  • She was so delicate, so frequently ill, that she was employed in the infirmary.

  • Ferguson went to the infirmary and Grayson went to the Commandant's office.

    The Adventurer

    Cyril M. Kornbluth

British Dictionary definitions for infirmary

infirmary

noun plural -ries
  1. a place for the treatment of the sick or injured; dispensary; hospital
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for infirmary

n.

mid-15c., "sick bay in a monastery," from Medieval Latin infirmaria "a place for the infirm," from Latin infirmus "weak, frail," (see infirm). The common name for a public hospital in 18c. England.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
infirmary in Medicine

infirmary

(ĭn-fûr′mə-rē)
n.
  1. A place for the care of the infirm, sick, or injured, especially a small hospital or clinic in an institution or school.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.