dispensation

/ˌdɪspenˈseɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌdɪspenˈseɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌdi-spən-ˈsā-shən -ˌspen-/ (ame, mw)

dispensation — 名詞

  • dispensationsingular
  • dispensationsplural

1. official permission, often granted by a church or other authority, that lets som

1.名詞C2
釋義

特許；豁免

權威機構允許違規或免守規定的特准

official permission, often granted by a church or other authority, that lets someone do something normally forbidden by a rule or be released from following it.

例句

Jabari needed a dispensation from the bishop to marry his cousin.

Jabari 需要主教的特許才能跟表妹結婚。

dispensation from + person/authority

The pope granted a special dispensation allowing the soldiers to eat meat during Lent.

教宗發出特別豁免，允許士兵在四旬期吃肉。

collocation: grant a (special) dispensation

同義詞
  • exemption

    more neutral and everyday; covers tax and bureaucracy without the religious flavour

  • waiver

    legal register; usually a written document releasing someone from a rule or claim

  • indulgence

    specifically Catholic and historical; remission of punishment for sin, not just a rule

反義詞
  • obligation

    the duty one is normally bound to follow, the opposite of being released from it

  • requirement

    the rule that everyone must obey, with no special release granted

文法句型

dispensation from + noun

dispensation to + infinitive

用法筆記

Often followed by 'from' (the rule or authority) or 'to' + infinitive (the action exempted). The word is most at home in religious, legal, or formal institutional settings; everyday speech prefers 'exemption' or 'special permission'.

常見錯誤

❌I got a dispensation about working late.
✅I got a dispensation from working late.
💡use 'from', not 'about', to introduce the rule or duty being waived.
❌The teacher gave us a dispensation for our homework.
✅The teacher gave us an extension on our homework.
💡'dispensation' implies an official rule is being formally waived, not a casual school favour.

2. the political or religious order that runs a country or community during a parti

2.名詞C2
釋義

體制；秩序

某時期主導國家或社會的政治或宗教安排

the political or religious order that runs a country or community during a particular period, or more broadly the way the world appears to be arranged at a given time.

例句

Under the new dispensation, foreign investors faced much tougher restrictions on owning farmland.

在新體制之下，外國投資者面對更嚴格的農地持有限制。

under the new / old dispensation

Many Hindus believe humanity is currently living through the dispensation of Kali Yuga, an age of moral decline.

許多印度教徒相信，人類目前正處於 Kali Yuga 這個道德沉淪的時代。

religious sense: a named cosmic era

同義詞
  • regime

    more common and slightly negative; usually about governments rather than religious orders

  • order

    broader; can refer to any settled arrangement of society, e.g. 'the old order'

  • era

    purely about the period of time, not the system controlling it

文法句型

under the X dispensation

the new / old dispensation

用法筆記

Almost always appears with 'the', a possessive, or a defining adjective ('the new', 'the old', 'a different'). Distinguish from sense 1: here no person 'grants' anything — it names a whole order of things, like 'regime' or 'era'.

常見錯誤

❌The dispensation gave him permission to leave.' (meaning a regime giving permission)
✅The dispensation under which they lived was harsh.
💡this sense names the system itself, not an act performed by it.

3. the act of handing something out to people, especially in measured amounts by so

3.名詞C2
釋義

分發；發放

由有職權者按份額發給他人的動作

the act of handing something out to people, especially in measured amounts by someone in an official position.

例句

Pharmacy students learn the careful dispensation of medicines before they are allowed to serve customers.

藥學系學生在獲准為顧客服務前，要先學會小心地分發藥品。

the dispensation of medicines (pharmacy context)

Dewi was placed in charge of the dispensation of relief supplies after the floods hit the village.

Dewi 在洪水襲擊村莊後，負責發放救援物資。

in charge of the dispensation of + supplies

同義詞
  • distribution

    neutral and far more common; covers everything from mail to wealth

  • administration

    used of justice, medicine, oaths; emphasises careful management

  • allocation

    stresses the planned share each recipient gets

反義詞
  • withholding

    the opposite act: keeping something back instead of giving it out

文法句型

the dispensation of + noun

用法筆記

Almost always uncountable and almost always followed by 'of + noun'. Common collocates include 'justice', 'medicines', 'aid', 'relief', 'cash'. The doer is typically an authority, not an individual sharing among friends.

常見錯誤

❌Mark helped with the dispensation of snacks at the party.
✅Mark helped hand out the snacks at the party.
💡informal sharing among friends takes 'hand out' or 'give out', not 'dispensation'.

4. a share or amount of something that has been handed out, especially as part of a

4.名詞C2
釋義

配給；份額

正式分配中發給每人的那一份東西

a share or amount of something that has been handed out, especially as part of an official distribution.

例句

Each refugee family received a small dispensation of rice and cooking oil from the agency.

每個難民家庭都從機構領到少量的米和食用油配給。

a small dispensation of + food

Hari was grateful for the monthly dispensation of medicine that kept his blood pressure under control.

Hari 很感激每月發放的藥物，那讓他的血壓保持穩定。

monthly dispensation of medicine (recurring share)

同義詞
  • allotment

    the share formally set aside for each recipient

  • ration

    a fixed share, often during shortages such as war or disaster

  • portion

    the most everyday word for one person's share

文法句型

a dispensation of + noun

用法筆記

Less frequent than sense 3 (the act) and overlaps with 'portion', 'allotment', 'ration'. Distinguish from sense 3: there it is the ACT of giving; here it is the THING received.

常見錯誤

❌She enjoyed her dispensation of pizza at lunch.
✅She enjoyed her slice of pizza at lunch.
💡everyday food shares are 'portion', 'slice', 'helping', not 'dispensation'.