APOTHECARY

pharmacist, druggist, chemist, apothecary, pill pusher, pill roller

(noun) a health professional trained in the art of preparing and dispensing drugs

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

apothecary (plural apothecaries)

(dated) A person who makes and provides/sells drugs and/or medicines.

(nonstandard, dated) A drugstore or pharmacy.

Glass jars similar in fashion to those datedly used for medicine.

Synonyms

• (person who makes and sells drugs): druggist, pharmacist, chemist

• (store that sells drugs): drugstore; pharmacy; apothecary's shop, apothecary's (UK)

Source: Wiktionary


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



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Word of the Day

2 April 2025

COVERT

(adjective) secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed; “covert actions by the CIA”; “covert funding for the rebels”


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Coffee Trivia

There are four varieties of commercially viable coffee: Arabica, Liberica, Excelsa, and Robusta. Growers predominantly plant the Arabica species. Although less popular, Robusta tastes slightly more bitter and contains more caffeine.

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