dispensary

/dɪˈspensəri/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈspensəri/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈspen(t)s-(ə-)rē/ (ame, mw)

dispensary — noun

  • dispensarysingular
  • dispensariesplural

1. a room or counter inside a hospital, clinic, or similar place where a trained pe

1.名詞B2
釋義

a room or counter inside a hospital, clinic, or similar place where a trained person prepares medicines and hands them out to patients

例句

Hana waited at the hospital dispensary to collect her mother's pain medicine.

collocation: hospital dispensary

The dispensary on the ground floor opens at eight every morning.

同義詞
  • pharmacy

    pharmacy is broader — it can refer to a hospital department or a standalone shop; dispensary almost always implies a place within a larger institution

  • chemist

    British term for a retail pharmacy; less likely to be used for a hospital dispensary

  • drugstore

    American term for a shop selling medicines alongside other goods; a drugstore is always a retail business, not a hospital facility

用法筆記

A dispensary is usually part of a larger institution such as a hospital or clinic. For a standalone shop selling medicines, pharmacy, chemist, or drugstore are more common terms in everyday English.

常見錯誤

❌I bought aspirin at the dispensary on the high street.
✅I bought aspirin at the pharmacy on the high street.
💡A dispensary is nearly always inside a hospital or clinic, not a standalone retail shop.