dispense
to distribute or give out
Roots
- dis- / dif-: apart, away, not, reversal, or disruption
- pend / pens: hang, weigh, lean, or be suspended
Other words with the pend / pens root
- compendium: a concise collection or summary
- depend: to rely on or hang from for support
- indispensable: absolutely necessary; impossible to do without
- penchant: strong liking or tendency
- pending: not yet decided or settled
- pendulum: swinging weight hung from a fixed point
- pensive: quietly thoughtful, often with sadness
Pend / pens once keeps weighing nearby. To dispense is to weigh out, give out, or distribute.
The clinic dispensed medicine through a small window beside the waiting room.
Dispense is useful because it also unlocks dispense with and indispensable. You can dispense medicine by giving it out; you can dispense with something by doing without it.