apothecary

American  

[uh-poth-uh-ker-ee] / əˈpɒθ əˌkɛr i /

noun

plural

apothecaries

1. a druggist; a pharmacist.

2. a pharmacy or drugstore.

3. (especially in England and Ireland) a druggist licensed to prescribe medicine.

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apothecary British  

/ əˈpɒθɪkərɪ /

noun

1. an archaic word for pharmacist

2. law a chemist licensed by the Society of Apothecaries of London to prescribe, prepare, and sell drugs

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Etymology

Origin of apothecary

1325–75; Middle English (< Old French ) < Medieval Latin apothēcārius seller of spices and drugs, Late Latin: shopkeeper, equivalent to Latin apothēc ( a ) shop, storehouse (< Greek apothḗkē; see apo-, theca) + -ārius -ary

Explanation

Although the sign at the back of the shop in the old town square said apothecary, most people called the man behind the counter by his modern title, "pharmacist," instead. This five-syllable word, apothecary, which entered English in the 14th century, derives from the Latin apothēca, "storehouse." It became a title for the person who was skilled in preparing medicines. "Pharmacist" is a more common synonym for apothecary. Some contemporary companies and drugstore owners use the old-fashioned charm of the term apothecary to label products they sell.

Example Sentences

Instead of shelves of alcohol, apothecary drawers stocked with ingredients like goji berries and angelica root line the walls, permeating the room with their scent.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

No-nonsense Maomao, a Tang Dynasty-era girl raised in a brothel who escapes servitude to parlay her apothecary skills in service of the palace, is one of the best female protagonists of all time.

From Salon • Dec. 19, 2025

A few minutes later, I walked up the street to an herbal apothecary that offers rose quartz crystals alongside dropper-bottle tinctures labeled “Happiness.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2024

Paleontologists first discovered Gigantopithecus in the mid-1930s in a Hong Kong apothecary where the ape’s unusually large molars were being hawked as “dragon teeth.”

From New York Times • Jan. 10, 2024

I wanted to own an entire city block—a proper restaurant, an apothecary, maybe a school, or a hatters shop.

From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson