pharmacy

phar·ma·cy

noun \ˈfär-mə-sē\

plural phar·ma·cies

Definition of PHARMACY

1

: the art, practice, or profession of preparing, preserving, compounding, and dispensing medical drugs

2

a : a place where medicines are compounded or dispensed

b : drugstore

3

: pharmacopoeia 2

Examples of PHARMACY

1. There's a pharmacy in our grocery store now.
2. She's studying pharmacy at the university.

Origin of PHARMACY

Late Latin pharmacia administration of drugs, from Greek pharmakeia, from pharmakeuein to administer drugs, from pharmakon magic charm, poison, drug

First Known Use: 1651

Related to PHARMACY

Synonyms

apothecary, drugstore

Related Words

dispensary; sick bay

Other Pharmacology Terms

anodyne, cathartic, emetic, emollient, liniment, paregoric, poultice, purgative, soporific, spectrum

phar·ma·cy

noun \ˈfär-mə-sē\   (Medical Dictionary)

plural ; phar·ma·cies

Medical Definition of PHARMACY

1

: the art, practice, or profession of preparing, preserving, compounding, and dispensing medical drugs

2

a : a place where medicines are compounded or dispensed <a hospital pharmacy> b : drugstore

3

: pharmacopoeia 2

pharmacy

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Science dealing with collection, preparation, and standardization of drugs. Pharmacists, who must earn a qualifying degree, prepare and dispense prescribed medications. They formerly mixed and measured drug products from raw materials according to doctors' prescriptions, and they are still responsible for formulating, storing, and providing correct dosages of medicines, now usually produced by pharmaceutical companies as premeasured tablets or capsules. They also advise patients on the use of both prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Laws regulating the pharmaceutical industry are based on the national pharmacopoeia, which outlines the purity and dosages of numerous medicinal products.