Infirmary

How to spell infirmary

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce infirmary

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does infirmary mean?

1. nounA place, such as a room in a school or institution, where the sick or injured are cared for.

Infirmary in a sentence

• The matron sent the feverish pupil to the infirmary to rest.

• After the accident on the factory floor, he was treated in the company infirmary.

Where does infirmary come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin infirmus, meaning 'not strong' or 'weak', formed from the negative prefix in- ('not') and firmus ('firm, steady, strong'). In Medieval Latin this gave infirmaria, a noun for the room or building where weak and sick people were tended, especially within a monastery. English took it up in the fifteenth century to name the part of a religious house set aside for the ill, and the sense later widened to any small hospital or sick room in a school, prison, or workplace. The very same firmus root still sits inside everyday words like 'firm' and 'confirm', which is a useful reminder that the spelling keeps that 'firm' intact in the middle. The classic trap is the unstressed ending, where 'ary' is easily written as the more common-sounding 'ery'.

How the word is built

• in- (not)
• firm (strong, steady)
• -ary (place for)