pharmacy
n. countablen. a shop where you can buy medicine and get health advice. You often go here with a paper from your doctor to get the specific pills you need.
n. a retail shop or hospital department where medicinal drugs are dispensed and sold. Often used to refer to the professional practice of preparing and distributing these drugs.
I need to go to the pharmacy to get my medicine.
The local pharmacy stays open late on weekends to help people who need urgent prescriptions.
Modern clinical pharmacy has evolved from simple drug dispensing to a more patient-centered approach involving medication therapy management and preventative health screenings.
From Middle English pharmacy, borrowed from Middle French pharmacie (“the art of creating drugs; a drug, especially a laxative”), from Old French farmacie, from Medieval Latin pharmacia, from Ancient Greek φαρμακεία (pharmakeía, “the use of drugs”), from φάρμακον (phármakon, “a drug, charm, enchantment”), of uncertain but likely Pre-Greek origin. Attested since late 14th century.
Often used with the definite article 'the' when referring to the local shop or the specific department in a hospital.