Dispense
/dɪˈspɛns/noun
To distribute or give out in portions; to exempt someone from a rule or requirement.
Did you know?In Latin, the ancestor of *dispense* was tied to weighing and payment, which is why the same root also helped shape words like *expense* and *pension*.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pend-
“to hang, weigh”
Latin
Latin
pendere
“to weigh, pay out”
Late Latin
Latin
dispensare
“to weigh out, distribute”
Old French
Old French
despenser
“to distribute, administer”
Middle English
English
dispenser
“one who distributes or administers”
Modern English
English
dispense
“to distribute or give out in portions; to exempt from a rule”
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