dispensation

Dispensation is a noun that covers several related meanings tied to distribution, exemption, and administration. In general usage, it denotes the act of distributing something to recipients, or the granting of an exemption from a rule or obligation by an authorized authority. The term also appears in specialized contexts with more precise senses in law, religion, and medicine.

Etymology: It comes from Latin dispensatio, from disponere "to arrange, distribute," via Old French despenser and Middle English dispensation. The root is common to the related verb dispense.

In legal and administrative use, a dispensation is a formal exemption or exception from a rule or requirement granted by an authority, often for a defined period. Examples include a dispensation from fasting, from dress codes, or from certain statutory duties. In ecclesiastical practice, a dispensation can authorize deviation from canonical rules, such as marriage or liturgical observances, subject to church law.

In theology, "dispensation" refers to a particular period or administration in which God is believed to interact with humanity according to a specific pattern of revelation or governance. In dispensationalist traditions, history is divided into multiple dispensations—commonly seven—each with its own divine covenants and tests. Other religious traditions use the term more broadly to describe dispensations from religious obligations or duties.

In medical usage, the term has historically referred to the act of distributing medicines to patients; today, "dispensing" is the more common term in pharmacy practice, with "dispensation" used in some legal or formal contexts to describe the exemption or distribution of drugs under regulation.