Use laboratory for the full formal word; lab is the standard informal abbreviation in everyday speech and scientific writing. Specify the type when relevant: 'chemistry laboratory', 'medical laboratory', 'research laboratory'.
Use laboratory for the full formal word; lab is the standard informal abbreviation in everyday speech and scientific writing. Specify the type when relevant: 'chemistry laboratory', 'medical laboratory', 'research laboratory'.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| She works in a laboritory. | She works in a laboratory. (common misspelling — note -ory not -ory) |
| The laboratory performed tests on me. | The laboratory technician (or 'the lab') performed tests on me. (a laboratory is a place, not an agent) |
The figurative laboratory is common in journalism, policy, and academic writing: 'the city as a laboratory for urban renewal', 'classrooms as laboratories of democracy'. It implies that the setting is being used deliberately to test and refine new approaches.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The country was a laboratory for economic reform. | This is correct as a formal/journalistic metaphor — though 'testing ground' or 'experiment' is more casual. |
Use laboratory for the formal word and lab informally. In figurative use, a laboratory is a place deliberately used to trial and observe new approaches. Always treat it as a place, not an agent — 'the lab found' should be 'the lab team found'.
Common misspelling: laboritory — note the correct spelling is laborat-ory. The laboratory is a place, not a person; avoid making it the agent of actions that require human judgment.
From Medieval Latin laboratorium ('a place for labour or work'), derived from Latin laborare ('to labour, work hard'), from labor ('toil, effort'). The word entered English in the early 17th century to describe alchemists' and chemists' workrooms. The figurative sense of a setting for social or intellectual experiments developed in the 19th century.
What is a laboratory?
A laboratory is a room, building, or facility specially equipped for scientific research, experiments, testing, or analysis. It contains instruments, chemicals, and controlled conditions suited to the type of work. Informally it is called a lab.
What is the difference between a laboratory and a lab?
There is no difference in meaning — lab is simply the standard informal abbreviation of laboratory. Laboratory is used in formal or official contexts (laboratory report, laboratory technician); lab is used in everyday speech and even in most scientific writing.
What does 'laboratory' mean figuratively?
Figuratively, a laboratory is any place or situation used as a controlled testing ground for new ideas, policies, or methods — where outcomes can be observed and learned from. For example: 'the city served as a laboratory for transport innovation'.
How do you spell laboratory?
Laboratory: L-A-B-O-R-A-T-O-R-Y. A common misspelling is laboritory. The word has five syllables: lab-or-a-tor-y.
What is the origin of the word laboratory?
Laboratory comes from Medieval Latin laboratorium, a place for labour or work, from Latin laborare (to toil) and labor (work). It entered English in the early 17th century, first describing alchemists' workshops, and later any scientific workroom.