01 n. The act of dispensing or dealing out; distribution; often used of the distribution of good and evil by God to man, or more generically, of …
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1.
The act of dispensing or dealing out; distribution; often used of the distribution of good and evil by God to man, or more generically, of the acts and modes of his administration.“To respect the dispensations of Providence.” — Burke.
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2.
That which is dispensed, dealt out, or appointed; that which is enjoined or bestowed(Theol.)“Neither are God's methods or intentions different in his dispensations to each private man.” — Rogers.
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3.
The relaxation of a law in a particular case; permission to do something forbidden, or to omit doing something enjoined; specifically, in the Roman Catholic Church, exemption from some ecclesiastical law or obligation to God which a man has incurred of his own free will (oaths, vows, etc.).“A dispensation was obtained to enable Dr. Barrow to marry.” — Ward.