Etymologically
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apothecarius

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [a.pɔ.tʰeːˈkaː.ri.ʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [a.po.teˈkaː.ri.us][1]

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]

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