pharmacy
Americannoun
plural
pharmacies-
Also called pharmaceutics. the art and science of preparing and dispensing drugs and medicines.
-
a drugstore.
noun
-
Also called: pharmaceutics. the practice or art of preparing and dispensing drugs
-
a dispensary
Etymology
Origin of pharmacy
1645–55; earlier pharmacia < Medieval Latin < Greek pharmakeía druggist's work. See pharmaco-, -y 3
Explanation
A pharmacy is where you go when you need to fill a prescription for medicine. Hospitals have pharmacies, but you can also find retail pharmacies in most cities and towns. The technique of making medicine and dispensing it is also known as pharmacy, and people who practice this kind of science are pharmacists. If your doctor diagnoses an infection, it's your friendly neighborhood pharmacist who measures your antibiotics, packages them for you, and instructs you on how much and how often to take them. The Greek root is pharmakeia, which means "medicines or cure," but also "witchcraft, spells, or potions."
Vocabulary lists containing pharmacy
Unit 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The agency would have to solicit public comment and an advisory committee of health and pharmacy experts would have to review the FDA’s research.
From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026
A higher dose of Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 injection Wegovy is coming to U.S. pharmacy shelves next month.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026
Rose is now turning to a Canadian pharmacy to get her asthma medication, which costs $800 a month in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
Other state-run facilities, including a pharmacy and a government-operated market were also targeted, it added.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
The pharmacy was small and it took one peek to see he wasn’t there.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
