1. A workplace for the conduct of scientific research or where research and testing is carried out.
2. A room or place with appropriate equipment for teaching science or doing scientific work.
3. A place where drugs and chemicals are manufactured, examined, and tested.
4. A place equipped for performing experimental work or investigative procedures, for the preparation of drugs, chemicals, etc.
5. A region (geographic, etc.) resembling a laboratory inasmuch as it offers opportunities for observation, practice, and experimentation.
6. Any place, situation, set of conditions, or the like, conducive to experimentation, investigation, observation, etc.; anything suggestive of a scientific laboratory.
7. Etymology: Although "laboratory" looks very much like the Latin laboratorium, "a place to labor, a work place"; the word "laboratory" came from the extended Latin elaborare, "to work out", as a problem, and "with great pains"; as evidenced by the Old English spelling "elaboratory"; designating "a place where learned effort was applied to the solution of scientific problems".

It should be noted that such an etymological perspective could not be found in any other dictionary. In fact, other sources state the following similar information: from 1605, "a building set apart for scientific experiments", from Middle Latin laboratorium, "a place for labor or work"; from Latin laboratus, past participle form of laborare, "to work". The shortened form lab was first attested in 1895.

A laboratory for the measurement and examination of materials derived from the human body; for example, fluids, tissues, cells, etc.; for the purpose of providing information on diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, or treatment of diseases.

A laboratory equipped for the safe manipulation of highly radioactive materials.