infirmary
C1Formal, institutional
Definition
Meaning
A room or building in a school, prison, monastery, or other institution where sick or injured people are cared for, especially a small hospital.
A place for the care of the infirm or sick; can refer to a hospital, especially in the names of older or charitable institutions (e.g., The Glasgow Royal Infirmary).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word strongly implies a place within a larger institution (school, military base, prison) or a historical/charitable hospital. It is less commonly used for modern general hospitals outside of proper names.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In British English, 'infirmary' is common in historic hospital names and retains the institutional sense. In American English, it is more narrowly associated with institutions (e.g., prison infirmary, school infirmary) and is less common in modern hospital names.
Connotations
Connotes tradition, institutional care, and often a smaller scale than 'hospital'. Can sound slightly old-fashioned or specific.
Frequency
Higher frequency in UK due to its use in historic hospital names. In both varieties, 'sick bay' (especially military/ships), 'medical room', or 'health centre' are contemporary alternatives in institutional contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
the infirmarythe [Institution] infirmaryinfirmary of [Institution]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[no common idioms]”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rarely used. Might appear in historical contexts of company towns.
Academic
Used in historical, architectural, or institutional studies.
Everyday
Low frequency. Understood but not the default term for a modern hospital.
Technical
Used in institutional administration (prisons, schools), military contexts, and historical medicine.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- [No standard verb form]
American English
- [No standard verb form]
adverb
British English
- [No standard adverb form]
American English
- [No standard adverb form]
adjective
British English
- [No standard adjective form. 'Infirm' is a separate adjective.]
American English
- [No standard adjective form. 'Infirm' is a separate adjective.]
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The nurse took the student to the school infirmary.
- He had a fever and rested in the infirmary.
- After the minor accident on the rugby pitch, he was carried to the infirmary.
- The old monastery's infirmary is now a museum.
- Prison reform advocates highlighted the overcrowding and underfunding of the prison infirmary.
- The Victorian infirmary building was repurposed into luxury apartments.
- The regiment's field infirmary was remarkably efficient despite the austere conditions.
- Archival records from the workhouse infirmary provided grim insights into 19th-century public health.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: INFIRM (meaning weak or ill) + ARY (a place for) = a place for the infirm.
Conceptual Metaphor
HEALTH CARE IS CONTAINMENT (The infirmary contains/cares for the sick).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating directly as 'больница' for all contexts. It is more specific. The Russian 'лазарет' is a closer match for the institutional sense.
- In names like 'Royal Infirmary', it functions as 'госпиталь' or 'клиника'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'infirmary' interchangeably with any modern hospital.
- Misspelling as 'infirmery'.
- Confusing with 'infirmity' (the state of being weak).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the word 'infirmary' MOST typically and correctly used today?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not exactly. While all infirmaries are places for treating the sick, 'infirmary' typically refers to one within an institution (school, prison) or is used in the names of older, often charitable, hospitals. A modern general hospital is rarely called just 'an infirmary'.
No, it would sound odd. A doctor's private practice is a 'surgery' (UK) or 'doctor's office' (US). 'Infirmary' implies a facility for residents of an institution or a historic hospital setting.
It reflects their historical origins. Many were founded in the 18th or 19th centuries as charitable institutions for the 'infirm' (sick and poor). The name often remains even after the hospital has modernised.
An infirmary typically provides beds and inpatient care for the sick. A dispensary historically was a place where medicines were prepared and dispensed, and free or low-cost medical advice was given, often without beds for overnight stays.
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