What does dispence mean?
"Dispence" is an archaic spelling of the verb "dispense," which means to distribute or deal out things such as food, medicine, money, advice, or justice, and, in the phrase "dispense with," to do away with something considered unnecessary. The spelling with a medial "c" appears in older English texts but has long been superseded by "dispense" in all varieties of English, so it is not appropriate in modern writing except when quoting historical sources. The underlying verb derives from Latin dispensare, meaning to weigh out or distribute, itself built on pendere, to weigh or pay. Words sharing that Latin root include pension, pensive, compensate, and expend. Related derivatives — such as dispensation, dispenser, and indispensable — all use the modern spelling without the "c." A reader who meets "dispence" today is most likely looking at an antique document, an early printed book, or simply a misspelling; the safe, correct form in every current context is "dispense."
Archaic spelling of "dispense": to distribute or deal out; to administer; or (with "with") to do without.
"The steward was instructed to dispence provisions fairly among the household."
Obsolete in modern English; found mainly in pre-19th-century texts.
Rare archaic use as a noun corresponding to "dispense": an expenditure or dispensation.
"The ledger recorded every small dispence of the manor."
Extremely rare and historical; not recognized in current dictionaries as a living form.
Only in historical texts; the plural of this rare noun sense is essentially unattested in modern usage.
"The accounts itemized the year's various dispences."
That extra 'c' in 'dispence' isn't a typo you'd find in a dictionary today — it's a ghost spelling that haunted English texts for centuries before quietly dying out.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dispence
The word traces back to Latin dispensare, a frequentative form of dispensus, the past participle of dispensare's root verb dispendere, meaning to weigh out or distribute — formed on pendere, "to weigh or pay." It passed into Middle English via Old French despenser, and spellings with and without the "c" coexisted in early modern English before "dispense" became standard. Its Latin cousins include pension, pensive, compensate, and expend, all rooted in the same idea of weighing out or paying.
Related word forms
How dispence is actually used
This spelling belongs almost entirely to historical texts; modern readers encountering it are usually seeing either an antiquated source or an error. In contemporary writing, always use 'dispense'.
Easily confused with dispence
Dispense is the standard modern spelling; 'dispence' is only an archaic or erroneous variant of it.
Unlike licence/license, where British English preserves both spellings, 'dispence' is not a recognized British variant of 'dispense' in modern usage.