Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Laboratory \Lab"o*ra*to*ry\, n.; pl. {Laboratories}. [Shortened
   fr. elaboratory; cf. OF. elaboratoire, F. laboratoire. See
   {Elaborate}, {Labor.}] [Formerly written also {elaboratory.}]
   The workroom of a chemist; also, a place devoted to
   experiments in any branch of natural science; as, a chemical,
   physical, or biological laboratory. Hence, by extension, a
   place where something is prepared, or some operation is
   performed; as, the liver is the laboratory of the bile.

Source : WordNet®

laboratory
     n 1: a workplace for the conduct of scientific research [syn: {lab},
           {research lab}, {research laboratory}, {science lab}, {science
          laboratory}]
     2: a region resembling a laboratory inasmuch as it offers
        opportunities for observation and practice and
        experimentation; "the new nation is a testing ground for
        socioeconomic theories"; "Pakistan is a laboratory for
        studying the use of American troops to combat terrorism"
        [syn: {testing ground}]