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infirmary

infirmary

123 4.1
A room in a place like a school where sick or injured people get care
  • noun
  • /ɪnˈfɜrməri/
: enfermería
  • After falling and injuring his leg, the coach took him straight to the infirmary for treatment.
  • work in the infirmary
  • ear infirmary
  • eye and ear infirmary

Jace wakes up in the Infirmary, Isabel and Alec are waiting for him.

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Examples

Synonyms

sickroom
vsinfirmary
1 3.2

A room where an ill person stays to rest and get care

serves institutions to care for several ill or injured people

How Medical

hospital
∞ 1.0
clinic
964 2.8
infirmary
123 4.1
sickroom
1 3.2

Surface Forms

infirmary singular
infirmaries plural

Morphology

infirmary = infirm (transparent) = infirm + ary

The noun is formed from the adjective 'infirm' with the productive suffix '-ary' to denote a place or institution for the infirm, so the meaning follows directly from the base.

Etymology

The word infirmary comes from the Latin parts in- 'not' and firmus 'strong', and it is related to the English words infirm and firm. So an infirmary is literally a place for people who are 'not strong', which is why it is a room or building where the sick and injured get care.