Apothecary
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 Synonym of pharmacist: a person who sells medicine, especially (historical) one who made and sold their own medicines in the medieval or early modern eras. archaic, dated
"[T]he poticaries and barbarus wryters call it [the iris] Irios in the genetiue caſe."
- 2 a health professional trained in the art of preparing and dispensing drugs wordnet
- 3 Synonym of pharmacy: an apothecary's shop, a drugstore. archaic, historical
"The Russian people as a whole almost revered the apothecary, and they entered it as they would enter a sanctum."
- 4 A glass jar of the sort once used for storing medicine. uncommon
Example
More examples"Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: likewise a small act of folly unto him that is esteemed for wisdom and honour."
Etymology
From Old French apotecaire (whence French apothicaire), from Medieval Latin apothecarius (“storekeeper”), from Latin apotheca (“(originally) repository, storehouse, warehouse; (later) shop, store”), from Ancient Greek ἀποθήκη (apothḗkē, “a repository, storehouse”), from ἀπό (apó, “away”) + τίθημι (títhēmi, “to put”), literally “a place where things are put away”. Doublet of boutique and bodega.
Related phrases
More for "apothecary"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.