apothecary
noun (an apothecary, apothecaries)
Everyday
- (old) An apothecary was a person who made and sold medicines, like a chemist or pharmacist today. tree →
- (old) An apothecary also gave simple medical advice and treatment. tree →
In the lessons
In history lessons about the Middle Ages, Tudor and Victorian times, the apothecary mixed herbs, powders and potions in a shop with jars. In stories, the apothecary sells cures and sometimes poisons. Today his job is done by a pharmacist (UK: chemist; US: drugstore).
Examples
- The apothecary mixed a potion of herbs. tree →
- In Tudor times you went to the apothecary for medicine. tree →
- Rows of jars lined the apothecary's shop. tree →
- The apothecary weighed the powder carefully. tree →
- Today a pharmacist does the job of an apothecary. tree →
- The story's villain bought poison from an apothecary. tree →
Note
Countable: apothecaries (y → ies). Pronounced a-POTH-e-ka-ree. Old-fashioned word.
Early Modern English
Meaning
A person who made and sold medicines. tree →
Then and now
No longer common; today we say pharmacist or chemist.
Examples
- "Whose is it, and where did you get it?" asked the apothecary. (Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen) tree →
- "Heaven preserve us!" cried the apothecary, "you are out of your mind. (Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen) tree →
- ‘Who is it, and how did you get it?’ asked the apothecary. (The Yellow Fairy Book) tree →
Note
Today: pharmacist; chemist.
On Mova
- Trees and pragmatics of «apothecary» in the school dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- «apothecary» in the school dictionary on Mova free.
- Trees and pragmatics of «apothecary» in the Early Modern English dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- «apothecary» in the Early Modern English dictionary on Mova free.
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