# pharmacy

Pronunciation: US say "FAR-muh-see" /ˈfɑɹməsi/; UK say "FAH-muh-see" /ˈfɑːməsi/

## Noun

1. A store or counter where prescription drugs are sold and dispensed.
   - Simple: A store where you can buy medicines that a doctor has ordered for you.
   - _She dropped off her prescription at the pharmacy near the hospital._
   - _Most large grocery stores now include a pharmacy at the back._
2. The science of medicinal substances, including drug formulation, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology, plant-derived compounds, and forensic analysis.
   - Simple: The study of medicines: how they are made and how they work in the body.
   - _He earned a degree in pharmacy before joining a research lab._
   - _Modern pharmacy draws on chemistry, biology, and plant science._
3. The role or occupation of preparing and dispensing medications as a trained pharmacist.
   - Simple: The job of preparing and giving out medicines that a doctor has ordered.
   - _She practiced pharmacy for two decades before moving into teaching._
   - _A career in pharmacy requires both scientific training and careful attention to detail._

## Origin

Recorded since the late 14th century, "pharmacy" came through Middle English and Middle French pharmacie from Medieval Latin pharmacia and Ancient Greek pharmakeía ("the use of drugs"), from phármakon ("a drug, charm, enchantment"), which is of uncertain but likely Pre-Greek origin.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pharmacy (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).