LABORATORY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does laboratory mean? 

• LABORATORY (noun)
  The noun LABORATORY has 2 senses:

1. a workplace for the conduct of scientific research

2. a region resembling a laboratory inasmuch as it offers opportunities for observation and practice and experimentation

  Familiarity information: LABORATORY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• LABORATORY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A workplace for the conduct of scientific research

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

lab; laboratory; research lab; research laboratory; science lab; science laboratory

Hypernyms ("laboratory" is a kind of...):

work; workplace (a place where work is done)

Meronyms (parts of "laboratory"):

lab bench; laboratory bench (a workbench in a laboratory)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "laboratory"):

bio lab; biology lab; biology laboratory (a laboratory for biological research)

chem lab; chemistry lab; chemistry laboratory (a laboratory for research in chemistry)

defense laboratory (a laboratory devoted to research and development for national defense)

physics lab; physics laboratory (a laboratory for research in physics)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A region resembling a laboratory inasmuch as it offers opportunities for observation and practice and experimentation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

laboratory; testing ground

Context example:

Pakistan is a laboratory for studying the use of American troops to combat terrorism

Hypernyms ("laboratory" is a kind of...):

region (a large indefinite location on the surface of the Earth)

 Context examples 

The literal identifier of the laboratory that performs a microbiology specimen examination.

(Microbiology Specimen Laboratory Name, NCI Thesaurus)

A laboratory tool used to analyze large numbers of genes or proteins at one time.

(Microarray, NCI Dictionary)

In medicine, micelles are made in the laboratory and are used to carry drugs to body tissues and cells.

(Micelle, NCI Dictionary)

A substance that comes from mint oils or is made in the laboratory.

(Menthol, NCI Dictionary)

A laboratory procedure to detect microorganisms in a sample.

(Microbiology Test, NCI Thesaurus)

A laboratory procedure to detect microsatellite instability.

(Microsatellite Instability Analysis, NCI Thesaurus)

The researchers showed that combining the two drugs – panobinostat and marizomib – was more effective than either drug by itself in killing DMG patient cells grown in the laboratory and in animal models.

(Scientists find promising drug combination against lethal childhood brain cancers, National Institutes of Health)

A laboratory procedure that is performed in more than one of these laboratory specializations: anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, or molecular pathology.

(Mixed Category Laboratory Procedure, NCI Thesaurus)

These tests require specialized laboratory equipment and can require days or weeks to return results.

(Scientists work toward a rapid point-of-care diagnostic test for Lyme disease, National Institutes of Health)

After laboratory culture, the researchers introduced Zika virus into this tissue, which has mature neurons.

(Zika virus found to harm adults’ memory and motor system, Agência Brasil/EBC)