lab
UK[læb]US[læb]
n
A room or building equipped for scientific experiments, research, or teaching.
n
A place where chemicals, medicines, etc., are made or tested.
Etymology
The word 'lab' is a modern English abbreviation of 'laboratory', which itself originates from the Medieval Latin 'laboratorium', meaning 'a place for labor or work'. This Latin term is derived from 'laborare', meaning 'to labor or toil', which traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root 'leb-', meaning 'to be weak, to hang down'. The semantic journey moved from the general concept of exertion to a specific place for scientific work. The clipped form 'lab' emerged in the 19th century as a convenient, informal term for this specialized workspace, reflecting a common linguistic pattern of shortening longer, technical words for everyday use.
Analysis
The word is a clipped form of 'laboratory'. It is a 19th-century shortening of the longer word.
Examples
She spent the afternoon conducting experiments in the chemistry lab.
The new drug was developed in a high-security research lab.
Students are required to wear safety goggles in the science lab.