Word of the Moment - Dispensation

We see this word on occasion.

–noun

1. an act or instance of dispensing; distribution.

2. something that is distributed or given out.

3. a certain order, system, or arrangement; administration or management.

4. Theology.

a. the divine ordering of the affairs of the world.

b. an appointment, arrangement, or favor, as by God.

c. a divinely appointed order or age: the old Mosaic, or Jewish, dispensation; the new gospel, or Christian, dispensation.

5. a dispensing with, doing away with, or doing without something.

6. Roman Catholic Church.

a. a relaxation of law in a particular case granted by a competent superior or the superior's delegate in laws that the superior has the power to make and enforce: a dispensation regarding the Lenten fast.

b. an official document authorizing such a relaxation of law.

Source: Dictionary.com Unabridged. Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009