Underdispense

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To hand out or supply less than the correct or required quantity of something, such as medicine or money
2. Giving out an amount that falls short of what is due or prescribed to those receiving it
3. Failing to distribute enough of a supply, particularly when measuring out medication or other portions

Etymology: "Underdispense" is formed in English from the prefix "under-" and the verb "dispense." "Dispense" comes from Latin "dispensare," meaning to weigh out or distribute, from "dispendere" (to weigh out), itself built from "dis-" (apart) and "pendere" (to weigh). The Latin root is the same one behind "pendulum" and "pension," so the idea of weighing out portions runs through a whole family of English words. "Under-" in this sense means insufficiently or too little, so "underdispense" means to dispense or distribute less than is required or expected. The pattern is simple and productive: English speakers have attached "under-" to many verbs of giving and supplying in the same way, and this formation follows that common model rather than a special history of its own.

Synonyms: underprovide, underissue

Antonyms: overdispense, overissue