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dispensation

 - 5 dictionary results

dis⋅pen⋅sa⋅tion

  [dis-puhn-sey-shuhn, -pen-]
Use dispensation in a Sentence
–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.
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.
Origin:
1325–75; ME dispensacioun < ML dispēnsātiōn- (s. of dispēnsātiō) a pardon, relaxation, LL: order, system, divine grace, L: distribution, equiv. to dispēnsāt(us) (ptp. of dispēnsāre to dispense; see -ate 1 ) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms:
dis⋅pen⋅sa⋅tion⋅al, adjective
dis⋅pen⋅sa⋅to⋅ri⋅ly  [di-spen-suh-tawr-uh-lee, -tohr-] , adverb

Synonyms:
1. dispersion, meting out, apportioning, dissemination, bestowal.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To dispensation
dis·pen·sa·tion   (dĭs'pən-sā'shən, -pěn-)   
n.  

    1. The act of dispensing.

    2. Something dispensed.

    3. A specific arrangement or system by which something is dispensed.

    4. An exemption from a church law, a vow, or another similar obligation granted in a particular case by an ecclesiastical authority.

    5. The document containing this exemption.

    6. The divine ordering of worldly affairs.

    7. A religious system or code of commands considered to have been divinely revealed or appointed.

  2. An exemption or release from an obligation or rule, granted by or as if by an authority.

    1. An exemption from a church law, a vow, or another similar obligation granted in a particular case by an ecclesiastical authority.

    2. The document containing this exemption.

    3. The divine ordering of worldly affairs.

    4. A religious system or code of commands considered to have been divinely revealed or appointed.

  4. Theology

    1. The divine ordering of worldly affairs.

    2. A religious system or code of commands considered to have been divinely revealed or appointed.


[Medieval Latin dispēnsātiō, dispēnsātiōn-, from Latin, distribution, management, from dispēnsātus, past participle of dispēnsāre, to distribute; see dispense.]
dis'pen·sa'tion·al adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: dis·pen·sa·tion
Pronunciation: "dis-p&n-'sA-sh&n, -"pen-
Function: noun
: the act of dispensing dispensation of medicines>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Bible Dictionary

Dispensation

(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

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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