*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of lab

Clipping of laboratory.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To practise experimentally outside of competitive play.

noun

A laboratory. · Laboratory experiment, test, investigation or result. · A hands-on educational experience; a workshop.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of laboratory.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clip",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "laboratory"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of laboratory"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "laboratory",
      "laboratory#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To practise experimentally outside of competitive play."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "2199863f62073d5e169b9dcd7f1daa10bc37172fb2ac3ba6c0d4a81915f57db9",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ef39c987af9670ec1f9e15ed315bec15d2b118f7bf0d27d435783b6456ca76f1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 196418
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A laboratory.",
        "Laboratory experiment, test, investigation or result.",
        "A hands-on educational experience; a workshop."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial"
      ],
      "recordId": "ed2c109071dae1d5d286fa070759357b8e69085a107a0382b7bcab93b64d3cb5",
      "rawRecordSha256": "da4a6df27115e9e682c1373253008c7beaa9ef5675c6439caea8c1097056600e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 196417
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A Labrador retriever.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of Labrador retriever.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clip",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Labrador retriever"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of Labrador retriever"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Labrador retriever",
      "Labrador retriever#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A Labrador retriever."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial"
      ],
      "recordId": "5b825bb87dddf377e35bf0511adf8581e0008fb1411b62cb82086e9829055a4f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "80299f22bda12a6a22e54c81154e6980784662dea02c3f794ce1745622d586e4",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 196419
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for lab →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bGFi