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 Mummy powder was one of the top-selling items at apothecaries across Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. — Michele Metych Britannica Editors Sep. 29, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026 Everyday rituals, like cooking with intention or creating herbal apothecaries, are becoming magical and meaningful hobbies. — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 27 Aug. 2026 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
  • In June, about 70% of voting non-tenure-track faculty approved unionizing under United Faculty-UAW, which seeks to represent roughly 2,700 USC lecturers, researchers, clinicians, librarians and pharmacists.
    — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Other universities may have a medical school to graduate physicians, or a school of nursing, or a program to educate pharmacists.
    — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Contract pharmacies grew from roughly 1,300 in 2010 to more than 31,000 by mid-2026, dominated by the largest chains.
    — Casey B. Mulligan, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The rush in demand for peptides could provide a new revenue stream for many small pharmacies.
    — Alana Semuels, Time, 7 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Apothecaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apothecaries. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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