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adjective
1.
kept in stock by apothecaries, as a drug. Compare magistral (def. 1).
2.
recognized by a pharmacopoeia.
noun
3.
an officinal medicine.
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Officinal
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Origin:
1710–20; < Medieval Latin officīnālis of a store or workshop, equivalent to Latin officīn(a) workshop, presumably contraction of opificīna (opific-, stem of opifex artisan, equivalent to opi-, combining form akin to opus work + -fic-, combining form of facere to make, do1 + -īna -ine1; compare office) + -ālis -al1
1710–20; < Medieval Latin officīnālis of a store or workshop, equivalent to Latin officīn(a) workshop, presumably contraction of opificīna (opific-, stem of opifex artisan, equivalent to opi-, combining form akin to opus work + -fic-, combining form of facere to make, do1 + -īna -ine1; compare office) + -ālis -al1
Related forms
of·fic·i·nal·ly, adverb
non·of·fic·i·nal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
officinal
"kept in stock by a druggist," c.1720, from Fr. officinal, from M.L. officinalis, lit. "of or belonging in an officina," a storeroom (of a monastery) for medicines and necessaries, from L. officina "workshop," contraction of *opificina, from opifex (gen. opificis) "worker, maker, doer" (from opus "work")
EXPAND+ -fex, -ficis "one who does," from facere "do, perform" (see factitious).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
officinal of·fic·i·nal (ə-fĭs'ə-nəl, ŏf'ĭ-sī'nəl)
adj.
Readily available in pharmacies; not requiring special preparation.
Recognized by a pharmacopoeia.
An official drug.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
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