laboratory

American  

[lab-ruh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, lab-er-uh-, luh-bor-uh-tuh-ree, -uh-tree] / ˈlæb rəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i, ˈlæb ər ə-, ləˈbɒr ə tə ri, -ə tri /

noun

plural

laboratories

1. a building, part of a building, or other place equipped to conduct scientific experiments, tests, investigations, etc., or to manufacture chemicals, medicines, or the like.

2. any place, situation, set of conditions, or the like, conducive to experimentation, investigation, observation, etc.; anything suggestive of a scientific laboratory.

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adjective

1. serving a function in a laboratory.

2. relating to techniques of work in a laboratory.

   laboratory methods; laboratory research.

laboratory British  

/ -trɪ, ləˈbɒrətərɪ, ˈlæbrəˌtɔːrɪ /

noun

1. 1. a building or room equipped for conducting scientific research or for teaching practical science

   2. ( as modifier )

      laboratory equipment

2. a place where chemicals or medicines are manufactured

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Other Word Forms

• interlaboratory adjective
• laboratorial adjective
• laboratorially adverb
• laboratorian noun

Etymology

Origin of laboratory

1595–1605; < Medieval Latin labōrātōrium workshop, equivalent to Latin labōrā ( re ) to labor + -tōrium -tory ²

Example Sentences

As part of the investigation into what happened at The Station nightclub, experts from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology built a laboratory version of the club and set it alight.

From BBC

At the same time, its digital incarnation can be a laboratory for high-octane bets—and make placing trades on an app seem even more like a game.

From The Wall Street Journal

The medical team analyzed patient cases, while the engineering researchers carried out laboratory experiments.

From Science Daily

Literally the answer must be no: Any stories they tell are scientific interpretations of minerals, fossils, isotopes and other features, whether from a geology laboratory or rock outcrop.

From The Wall Street Journal

Dendritic cell vaccines are created by collecting immature immune cells from a patient's blood and growing them in the laboratory alongside antigens taken from that patient's tumor.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• lab
• workshop