/ dɪˈspensəri; NAmE / noun ( pl. -ies )
1.
a place in a hospital, shop / store, etc. where medicines are prepared for patients
2.
( old-fashioned ) a place where patients are treated, especially one run by a charity
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WORD ORIGIN
late 17th cent.: from medieval Latin dispensarium , neuter (used as a noun) of dispensarius , from Latin dispensare continue to weigh out or disburse, from the verb dispendere , based on pendere weigh.