infirmary
Americannoun
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infirmaries
plural
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a place for the care of the infirm, sick, or injured; hospital or facility serving as a hospital.
a school infirmary.
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a dispensary.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of infirmary
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English word from Medieval Latin word infirmāria. See infirm, -ary
Explanation
An infirmary is a hospital, or the area of an institution that's used as a hospital. If you come down with chickenpox at summer camp, you might have to spend a few nights in the camp infirmary. While you can call a hospital an infirmary, you're most likely to do this if you're British and referring to a specific hospital, like the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Infirmaries are usually spaces within larger buildings that provide healthcare. Inmates go to the prison infirmary when they're sick, and soldiers get their checkups at the military base infirmary. The earliest infirmaries were in monasteries. The Latin root is infirmus, "weak or frail."
Vocabulary lists containing infirmary
Night
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Dear Martin
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The Catcher in the Rye
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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.
See Examples For:
A sort of community in miniature emerged, with security and scavenger teams and plumbers and one lone doctor running an overpacked infirmary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
He tossed batting practice, visited kids in the infirmary and signed autographs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2026
Levi was too sick and Soviet troops found him close to death in the camp infirmary.
From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2025
He was susceptible to infection as a diabetic, but doctors in the infirmary did not stop the wound from festering, according to a lawsuit that was handwritten and filed by the prisoner.
From Seattle Times ● May 16, 2024
“You are in the infirmary at Redwall Abbey. As yet I do not know the full extent of your injuries. When you have rested, my friends will cleanse you and dress your wounds.”
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
A pediatrician, my aunt jumped into action: Building and running makeshift infirmaries for children and trying to create some form of order in the face of insurmountable — and ongoing — need.
From Salon ● Mar. 18, 2023
The injured were diverted to workhouse infirmaries to be treated after Swansea General Hospital was bombed.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2021
The tide overwhelmed camp hospitals, relief organizations built temporary infirmaries, and the Army converted barracks to house battalions of sickened men.
From Slate ● May 16, 2020
Sanders also envisions small infirmaries with beds where people can recuperate if they’re sick, and mobile medical units that can get care faster to rural areas.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 19, 2019
That is a piece of luck, the Catholic infirmaries are noted for their good treatment and good food.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
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.
