APOTHECARIES
Noun
apothecaries
plural of apothecary
Source: Wiktionary
APOTHECARY
A*poth"e*ca*ry, n.; pl. Apothecaries. Etym: [OE. apotecarie, fr. LL.
apothecarius, fr. L. apotheca storehouse, Gr. apo, fr. apothicaire,
OF. apotecaire. See Thesis.]
Definition: One who prepares and sells drugs or compounds for medicinal
purposes.
Note: In England an apothecary is one of a privileged class of
practitioners -- a kind of sub-physician. The surgeon apothecary is
the ordinary family medical attendant. One who sells drugs and makes
up prescriptions is now commonly called in England a druggist or a
pharmaceutical chemist. Apothecaries' weight, the system of weights
by which medical prescriptions were formerly compounded. The pound
and ounce are the same as in Troy weight; they differ only in the
manner of subdivision. The ounce is divided into 8 drams, 24
scruples, 480 grains. See Troy weight.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition