dispense

Where does the word "dispense" come from? It comes from Latin pendere, passing through Latin and Old French before entering English (1300s).

Dispense’s story begins in Latin: pendere meant “to weigh.” To weigh, giving rise to pensare (to weigh carefully). Within Latin, it grew into dispensare by ancient. To weigh out in portions, to distribute, from dis- and pensare. From there it passed into Old French as dispenser by medieval. Carried into French for distributing or administering something. It reached English by 1300s as dispense. Settled as the English word for distributing something in portions. Today, dispense means to distribute something in portions, or to administer or provide something.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient pendere "to weigh", to weigh, giving rise to pensare (to weigh carefully).
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient dispensare "to weigh out in portions, to distribute", to weigh out in portions, to distribute, from dis- and pensare.
3. Stage 3 · Old French · medieval dispenser "to distribute or administer something", carried into French for distributing or administering something.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1300s dispense "to distribute something in portions", settled as the English word for distributing something in portions.