officinal

1 definition found

officinal - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Officinal \Of*fic"i*nal\, a. [F., fr. L. officina a workshop,
     contr. fr. opificina, fr. opifex a workman; opus work +
     facere to make or do.]
     1. Used in a shop, or belonging to it. [Obs. or R.]
        --Johnson.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Pharm.) Kept in stock by apothecaries; -- said of such
        drugs and medicines as may be obtained without special
        preparation or compounding; not magistral.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: This term is often interchanged with official, but in
           strict use officinal drugs are not necessarily
           official. See Official, a., 3.
           [1913 Webster]