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dispensation

 [dis-puhn-sey-shuhn, -pen-]   Example Sentences Origin

dis·pen·sa·tion

   [dis-puhn-sey-shuhn, -pen-]
noun
1.
an act or instance of dispensing; distribution.
2.
something that is distributed or given out.
3.
a certain order, system, or arrangement; administration or management.
4.
Theology.
a.
the divine ordering of the affairs of the world.
b.
an appointment, arrangement, or favor, as by God.
c.
a divinely appointed order or age: the old Mosaic, or Jewish, dispensation; the new gospel, or Christian, dispensation.
5.
a dispensing with, doing away with, or doing without something.
EXPAND
6.
Roman Catholic Church.
a.
a relaxation of law in a particular case granted by a competent superior or the superior's delegate in laws that the superior has the power to make and enforce: a dispensation regarding the Lenten fast.
b.
an official document authorizing such a relaxation of law.
COLLAPSE
Origin:
1325–75; Middle English dispensacioun < Medieval Latin dispēnsātiōn- (stem of dispēnsātiō) a pardon, relaxation, Late Latin: order, system, divine grace, Latin: distribution, equivalent to dispēnsāt(us) (past participle of dispēnsāre to dispense; see -ate1) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms
dis·pen·sa·tion·al, adjective
dis·pen·sa·to·ri·ly  [dih-spen-suh-tawr-uh-lee, -tohr-] , adverb
non·dis·pen·sa·tion, noun
non·dis·pen·sa·tion·al, adjective

Synonyms
1. dispersion, meting out, apportioning, dissemination, bestowal.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To Dispensation

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Dispensation is a GRE word you need to know.
So is disavow. Does it mean:
to disclaim knowledge of, connection with, or responsibility for
to deter by advice or persuasion
LEARN MORE GRE WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Example Sentences
  • And it needs no dispensation for novelty: it stands beautifully on its own merits.
  • Americans their dispensation only on condition that they aspire upward.
  • The statistics also showed a decline in the number of priests receiving dispensation from their vows.
EXPAND
Collins
World English Dictionary
dispensation (ˌdɪspɛnˈseɪʃən)
 
—n
1.  the act of distributing or dispensing
2.  something distributed or dispensed
3.  a system or plan of administering or dispensing
4.  chiefly RC Church
 a.  permission to dispense with an obligation of church law
 b.  the document authorizing such permission
5.  any exemption from a rule or obligation
6.  Christianity
 a.  the ordering of life and events by God
 b.  a divine decree affecting an individual or group
 c.  a religious system or code of prescriptions for life and conduct regarded as of divine origin
 
dispen'sational
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

dispensation
late 14c., from O.Fr. despensation, from L. dispensatio "management, charge," from pp. stem of dispensare (see dispense). Theological sense is from being used to translate Gk. oikonomoia "office, method of administration."
EXPAND

dispensation
late 14c., from Fr. dispensation (12c.), from L. dispensationem, from dispensare (see dispense).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Easton
Bible Dictionary

Dispensation definition


(Gr. oikonomia, "management," "economy"). (1.) The method or scheme according to which God carries out his purposes towards men is called a dispensation. There are usually reckoned three dispensations, the Patriarchal, the Mosaic or Jewish, and the Christian. (See COVENANT ØT0000916, Administration of.) These were so many stages in God's unfolding of his purpose of grace toward men. The word is not found with this meaning in Scripture. (2.) A commission to preach the gospel (1 Cor. 9:17; Eph. 1:10; 3:2; Col. 1:25). Dispensations of Providence are providential events which affect men either in the way of mercy or of judgement.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

dispensation

in Christian ecclesiastical law, the action of a competent authority in granting relief from the strict application of a law. It may be anticipatory or retrospective

Learn more about dispensation with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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