dispense

[dih-spens] /dɪˈspɛns/
verb (used with object), dispensed, dispensing.
1.
to deal out; distribute:
to dispense wisdom.
2.
to administer:
to dispense the law without bias.
3.
Pharmacology. to make up and distribute (medicine), especially on prescription.
4.
Roman Catholic Church. to grant dispensation.
verb (used without object), dispensed, dispensing.
5.
to grant dispensation.
noun
6.
Obsolete, expenditure.
Verb phrases
7.
dispense with,
  1. to do without; forgo:
    to dispense with preliminaries.
  2. to do away with; rid of.
  3. to grant exemption from a law or promise.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English dispensen < Medieval Latin dispēnsāre to pardon, exempt, Latin: to pay out, distribute, equivalent to dis- dis-1 + pēnsāre, frequentative of pendere to weigh
Related forms
undispensed, adjective
Synonyms
1. apportion, allot, dole. See distribute.
British Dictionary definitions for dispense with

dispense

/dɪˈspɛns/
verb
1.
(transitive) to give out or issue in portions
2.
(transitive) to prepare and distribute (medicine), esp on prescription
3.
(transitive) to administer (the law, etc)
4.
(intransitive) foll by with. to do away (with) or manage (without)
5.
to grant a dispensation to (someone) from (some obligation of church law)
6.
to exempt or excuse from a rule or obligation
Usage note
Dispense with is sometimes wrongly used where dispose of is meant: this task can be disposed of (not dispensed with) quickly and easily
Word Origin
C14: from Medieval Latin dispensāre to pardon, from Latin dispendere to weigh out, from dis-1 + pendere to weigh
Word Origin and History for dispense with

dispense

v.

early 14c., from Old French dispenser "give out" (13c.), from Latin dispensare "disburse, administer, distribute (by weight)," frequentative of dispendere "pay out," from dis- "out" (see dis-) + pendere "to pay, weigh" (see pendant).

In Medieval Latin, dispendere was used in the ecclesiastical sense of "grant license to do what is forbidden or omit what is required" (a power of popes, bishops, etc.), and thus acquired a sense of "grant remission from punishment or exemption from law," hence "to do away with" (1570s), "do without" (c.1600). Older sense is preserved in dispensary. Related: Dispensed; dispensing.

dispense with in Medicine

dispense dis·pense (dĭ-spěns')
v. dis·pensed, dis·pens·ing, dis·pens·es
To prepare and give out medicines.

Idioms and Phrases with dispense with

dispense with

.
Manage without, forgo, as in We can dispense with the extra help. Shakespeare had this idiom in Timon of Athens (3:2): “Men must learn now with pity to dispense.” [ c. 1600 ]
.
Get rid of, do away with, as in The European Union is trying to dispense with tariff barriers. [ Late 1500s ]
.
Exempt one from a law, promise, or obligation, as in He asked the court to dispense with swearing on the Bible. This usage originally applied to religious obligations (to which the Pope granted dispensation). [ Early 1500s ]