# laboratory

Pronunciation: US say "LAB-ruh-tor-ee" /ˈlæb(ə)ɹəˌtɔɹi/; UK say "luh-BO-ruh-tree" /ləˈbɒɹətɹi/

## Noun

1. A place fitted with the equipment for scientific research, experiments, or analysis, from a single room to a whole building or institution.
   - Simple: A room or building with special tools for doing science experiments and tests.
   - _Researchers spent months in the laboratory analyzing soil samples from the dig site._
   - _The university's laboratories stay open to graduate students around the clock._
2. A facility that produces or prepares chemicals, drugs, or microorganisms.
   - Simple: A place where medicines, chemicals, or tiny living things are made or prepared.
   - _Vaccines are produced in a laboratory under strict sterile conditions._
   - _Investigators raided several clandestine laboratories manufacturing synthetic opioids._

## Origin

Borrowed from the Medieval Latin word "labōrātōrium."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/laboratory (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).