apothecaries

plural of apothecary
1
as in pharmacists
a person who prepares drugs according to a doctor's prescription in olden days the apothecary had few drugs that actually cured anything, most substances being little more than pain relievers

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2
as in pharmacies
a retail store where medicines and miscellaneous articles are sold the historic village boasts an old-fashioned apothecary that's been there for almost a century and a half

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of apothecaries There were few professional doctors, so healthcare came from midwives, bonesetters who also cut hair and removed cataracts, ministers, and community members, including apothecaries and plantation root doctors who were knowledgeable about plants. Katherine Ott, The Conversation, 2 July 2026 Eventually, hard candies were made from the plant and carried in many apothecaries and general stores. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 23 June 2026 Belif is predominantly a skin care brand, inspired by 19th-century apothecaries and their herbal medicines, mixed with modern scientific Korean beauty theory. Bestreviews, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026 In densely populated neighborhoods of flimsy wooden houses, charcoal braziers tumbled over, fuel tanks ruptured, combustible chemicals in apothecaries exploded, and high winds fanned the flames through alleys. Joshua Hammer, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026 For decades after the nation’s founding, doctors had competition from homeopaths, herbalists, apothecaries, midwives, and religious healers—not to mention mothers. Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apothecaries
Noun
  • But the panel of outside advisers convened for the meeting includes at least seven doctors or pharmacists with financial ties to the peptide industry.
    Matthew Perrone, Fortune, 23 July 2026
  • Before the meeting, more than a half-dozen people with connections to the peptide industry were added, including doctors, pharmacists or consultants who work with the chemicals.
    Matthew Perrone, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
Noun
  • The brand is sold in 3,000 French pharmacies as well as through stores such as Galeries Lafayette, Samaritaine and Printemps Haussmann.
    Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 31 July 2026
  • In fact, three years ago, the FDA banned compounding pharmacies from dispensing seven peptide products over safety issues.
    Sheah Rarback, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Apothecaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apothecaries. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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