Meanings
nounlaboratory (plural laboratories)
plural laboratories
- A room, building or institution equipped for scientific research, experimentation or analysis.
- A place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured.
[Isaac Newton] was obsessed with alchemy. He spent hours copying alchemical recipes and trying to replicate them in his laboratory. He believed that the Bible contained numerological codes.
2014 June 21, “Magician’s brain”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 88921 more example
Again she read the passage that had riveted her attention; and, rising from her seat, carried the still open volume, and laid it on a slab by the furnace in the laboratory: it was a celebrated treatise on poisons, written in the fifteenth century.
1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The Laboratory”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 325
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
nouna workplace for the conduct of scientific research
Similar
nouna region resembling a laboratory inasmuch as it offers opportunities for observation and practice and experimentation
Similar
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Latinlabōs
- Latinlabor
- Latinlabōrō
- Late Latinlabōrātor
- Medieval Latinlabōrātōrius
- Medieval Latinlabōrātōrium
- Englishlaboratory
Borrowed from Medieval Latin labōrātōrium.
More words from Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans laboratorium
- laboratoriumroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
Arabic مَعْمَل, مُخْتَبَر
- مَعْمَل (maʕmal)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- مُخْتَبَر (muḵtabar)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- مُخْتَبَر (muḵtabar)place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
- مَعْمَل (maʕmal)place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Bengali পরীক্ষাগার, পরীক্ষাগার
- পরীক্ষাগার (porikkhagar)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- পরীক্ষাগার (porikkhagar)place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Bulgarian лаборато́рия, лаборато́рия
- лаборато́рия (laboratórija)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- лаборато́рия (laboratórija)place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Catalan laboratori
- laboratoriroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
Chinese Cantonese 實驗室 /实验室
- 實驗室 /实验室room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
Chinese Mandarin 實驗室 /实验室, 研究室
- 實驗室 /实验室 (shíyànshì)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- 研究室 (yánjiūshì)place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Czech laboratoř, laboratoř
- laboratořroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratořplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Danish laboratorium, laboratorium
- laboratoriumroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratoriumplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Dutch laboratorium, lab
- laboratoriumroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- labroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratoriumplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Esperanto laboratorio, esplorejo
- laboratorioroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- esplorejoroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
Estonian laboratoorium, labor
- laboratooriumroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laborroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratooriumplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Finnish laboratorio, labra
- laboratorioroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- labraroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- labbisroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratorioplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
French laboratoire, laboratoire
- laboratoireroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratoireplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
German Labor, Laboratorium
- Laborroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- Laboratoriumroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- Laborgebäuderoom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- Laborplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
- Laboratoriumplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
- Laborgebäudeplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Greek εργαστήριο, εργαστήριο
- εργαστήριο (ergastírio)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- εργαστήριο (ergastírio)place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Hebrew מַעֲבָּדָה, מַעְבָּדָה
- מַעֲבָּדָה (ma'abadá)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- מַעְבָּדָה (ma'badá)place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Hindi प्रयोगशाला, प्रयोगशाला
- प्रयोगशाला (prayogśālā)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- प्रयोगशाला (prayogśālā)place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Hungarian laboratórium, szertár
- laboratóriumroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- szertárroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratóriumplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Icelandic rannsóknarstofa, tilraunastofa
- rannsóknarstofaroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- tilraunastofaroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- rannsóknarstofuplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Indonesian laboratorium
- laboratoriumroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
Irish saotharlann, saotharlann
- saotharlannroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- saotharlannplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Italian laboratorio, laboratorio
- laboratorioroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratorioplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Japanese 研究室, 実験室
- 研究室 (kenkyūshitsu)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- 実験室 (jikkenshitsu)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- ラボ (rabo)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- 研究所 (kenkyūjo)place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
- ラボラトリー (raboratorī)place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Korean 실험실, 랩
- 실험실 (silheomsil)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- 랩 (raep)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- 연구실 (yeon'gusil)place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Latin labōrātōrium, labōrātōrium
- labōrātōriumroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- labōrātōriumplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Latvian laboratorija, laboratorija
- laboratorijaroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratorijaplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Lithuanian laboratorija, laboratorija
- laboratorijaroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratorijaplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Malay makmal, makmal
- makmalroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- makmalplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Norwegian Bokmål laboratorium, laboratorium
- laboratoriumroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratoriumplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Polish laboratorium, pracownia
- laboratoriumroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- pracowniaroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratoriumplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Portuguese laboratório, laboratório
- laboratórioroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratórioplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Romanian laborator, laborator
- laboratorroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratorplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Russian лаборато́рия, лаборато́рия
- лаборато́рия (laboratórija)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- лаборато́рия (laboratórija)place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Scottish Gaelic deuchainn-lann, obair-lann
- deuchainn-lannroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- obair-lannroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- obair-lannplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Slovak laboratórium, laboratórium
- laboratóriumroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratóriumplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Spanish laboratorio, laboratorio
- laboratorioroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratorioplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Swahili maabara
- maabararoom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
Swedish laboratorium, labb
- laboratoriumroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- labbroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- labbisroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratoriumplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Tagalog panaliksikan, laboratoryo
- panaliksikanroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratoryoroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
Tamil ஆய்வுக்கூடம்
- ஆய்வுக்கூடம் (āyvukkūṭam)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
Thai ห้องปฏิบัติการ, ห้องทดลอง
- ห้องปฏิบัติการ (hɔ̂ng-bpà-dtì-bàt-gaan)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- ห้องทดลอง (hɔ̂ng-tót-lɔɔng)place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Turkish laboratuvar, laboratuvar
- laboratuvarroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- laboratuvarplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Ukrainian лаборато́рія, лаборато́рія
- лаборато́рія (laboratórija)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- лаборато́рія (laboratórija)place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Urdu تَجْرِبَہ گاہ, تَجْرِبَہ گاہ
- تَجْرِبَہ گاہ (tajriba gāh)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- تَجْرِبَہ گاہ (tajriba gāh)place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Vietnamese phòng thí nghiệm, phòng thí nghiệm
- phòng thí nghiệmroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- phòng thí nghiệmplace where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Welsh labordy
- labordyroom, building or institution equipped for scientific research
Yiddish לאַבאָראַטאָריע, לאַבאָראַטאָריע
- לאַבאָראַטאָריע (laboratorye)room, building or institution equipped for scientific research
- לאַבאָראַטאָריע (laboratorye)place where chemicals, drugs or microbes are prepared or manufactured
Cite this entry
APA
laboratory. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/laboratory
MLA
“laboratory.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/laboratory. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “laboratory,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/laboratory.
Source: laboratory on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.