[lab.o.ra.to.ry] n, pl -ries often attrib [ML laboratorium, fr. L laborare to labor, fr. labor] (1605) 1 a: a place equipped for experimental study in a science or for testing and analysis; broadly: a place providing opportunity for experimentation, observation, or practice in a field of study b: a place like a laboratory for testing, experimentation, or practice "the ~ of the mind"
2: an academic period set aside for laboratory work