apothecarius

Forms

apothēcārius m (genitive apothēcāriī or apothēcārī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin apothēca (“storehouse”) + -ārius.^[2][3][4] The base is a borrowing of Greek ἀποθήκη (apothḗkē, “storehouse”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first author is Augustine, in a letter, where it means a man in charge of a storehouse.^[3][6][4]

Semantic evolution

The Code of Justinian names apothēcāriī together with other traders in goods, and Lewis & Short gloss it as warehouseman or clerk.^[3][2]

In Medieval Latin it became a shopkeeper and then, in particular, a druggist or a mercer.^[7] German charters of the 13th century use it of a dealer in spices and drugs,^[8] the Annals of Winchester of a king's treasurer, and British sources of the apothecary, druggist or spicer.^[9] Du Cange records it for the servant in great houses who made sweets and preserved fruit.^[10] It passed through Old French apotecaire into English as apothecary in the mid-14th century,^[5] and Middle High German apotēkære continues it.^[4]

Timeline

• 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it of a storekeeper.^[3][4]
• 528–534 AD – The Code of Justinian names it among traders.^[3][4]
• 1248 – A Rhineland charter uses it of a dealer in spices or drugs.^[8]
• mid-14th century – English borrows apothecary through Old French.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin) A warehouseman, storekeeper; a clerk.^[2][3][11]
2. (Medieval Latin) A shopkeeper; a mercer.^[7]
3. (Medieval Latin) A druggist, spicer, apothecary.^[7][8][9]
4. (Medieval Latin) A treasurer; a steward of provisions.^[9][8]

Related words

• apothēca
• English apothecary

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ a b c d Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
9. ^ a b c Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
10. ^ du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
11. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn