Pharmacy Glossary

The pharmacy glossary I created is related to my field of study. A pharmacist is a health-care professional who advises clients on their medications and makes a follow-up on their treatments. Additionally, the pharmacist explains the medication to their clients and makes sure they are suitable for them. My intention behind the creation of this word bank is to share the most used terms in this profession. The definitions are chosen specifically to reach a large public. Also, as a student interested in pharmacy, it allows me to learn more about this profession. I hope you will learn some new words.

allergy

noun

A damaging immune response by the body to a substance, especially pollen, fur, a particular food, or dust, to which it has become hypersensitive.

Example: Susie had a strong allergy to medical tape and plasters; this made Susie a 'special' case straight away as preparations needed to be altered to work around her allergy.

fr: allergie

analgesic

noun

A type of drug that stops you from feeling pain.

Example: He scribbled a prescription for analgesic.

fr: analgésique

antibody

noun

A blood protein produced in response to and counteracting a specific antigen. Antibodies combine chemically with substances which the body recognizes as alien, such as bacteria, viruses, and foreign substances in the blood.

Example: This means that when the mice are vaccinated, they make human antibodies.

fr: anticorps

antidepressant

noun

Used to alleviate depression.

Example: A short-term antidepressant would help to lift's mood during his inpatient stay and relieve his depressive symptoms.

fr: antidépresseur

antigen

noun

A toxin or other foreign substance which induces an immune response in the body, especially the production of antibodies.

Example: In this study, two kinds of complete antigen were synthesized.

fr: antigène

antipyretic

adjective

Used to prevent or reduce fever.

Example: He said that patients in the first stage of the disease could be treated with antipyretic drugs.

fr: antipyrétique

apothecary

noun

A person who prepared and sold medicines and drugs.

Example: From his writings it would appear that the offices of physician, surgeon and apothecary were already considered as distinct professions.

fr: apothicaire

buccal

adjective

Relating to the mouth.

Example: Baleen whales suck in mouthfuls of water and extract small organisms such as krill, using fibrous buccal filters.

fr: buccal

dehydration

noun

A harmful reduction in the amount of water in the body.

Example: The patient was suffering from severe dehydration and malnutrition.

fr: déshydratation

eczema

noun

An inflammatory condition of the skin characterized by redness, itching, and oozing vesicular lesions which become scaly, crusted, or hardened.

Example: Unfortunately, much like eczema, psoriasis can also show up on or under your boobs.

fr: eczéma

enema

noun

A procedure in which liquid or gas is injected into the rectum, typically to expel its contents, but also to introduce drugs or permit X-ray imaging.

Example: The drug, which is delivered as an enema, significantly reduced the number of people who had diarrhea within eight weeks of their treatment, which is one sign that a C. difficile infection may be recurring, the company said.

fr: lavement

gastrointestinal

adjective

Relating to the stomach and the intestines.

Example: Research has shown that breastfed babies, when compared to artificially fed babies, were less likely to suffer from gastrointestinal illness and respiratory, ear and urinary infections and were less likely to suffer from diabetes and higher blood pressure later in life (Howie et al, 1990, Lucus and Cole, 1990).

fr: gastro-intestinal

lymph

noun

A colorless fluid containing white blood cells, which bathes the tissues and drains through the lymphatic system into the bloodstream.

Example: The increased flow of lymph is due to the increased pressure in the abdominal capillaries.

fr: lymphe

parenteral

adjective

Administered or occurring elsewhere in the body than the mouth and alimentary canal.

Example: The company’s adjoining facility in Birmingham also offers development and manufacturing services for parenteral drug products, and application development and scale-up services for implantable medical devices.

fr: parentéral

placebo

noun

A harmless pill, medicine, or procedure prescribed more for the psychological benefit to the patient than for any physiological effect.

Example: To ensure treatment allocation is hidden single blinding will be used; ideally double-blinding would have been used but within this intervention it would be difficult for both the researcher and the participants not to know which group they are in, as they are not receiving a placebo.

fr: placebo

prescription

noun

An instruction written by a medical practitioner that authorizes a patient to be provided a medicine or treatment.

Example: He scribbled a prescription for tranquilizers.

fr: ordonnance

solvent

noun

The liquid in which a solute is dissolved to form a solution.

Example: Non-polar groups are repelled by water and attempt to fold the protein, so they are on the interior and hence out of contact with any aqueous solvent.

fr: solvant

sublingual

adjective

Situated or applied under the tongue.

Example: Tinctures and sublingual sprays can offer effects quickly, while edibles and oils have a slower release, leading to a longer period of sleep.

fr: sublingual

symptom

noun

A physical or mental feature which is regarded as indicating a condition of disease, particularly such a feature that is apparent to the patient.

Example: This, latter symptom naturally causes dehydration and thirst in the patient, two further warning signs that might alert a physician to the onset of diabetes (Avery, 1998).

fr: symptôme

vial

noun

A small container, typically cylindrical and made of glass, used especially for holding liquid medicines.

Example: Inside, packed in dry ice, sat a tiny 1-milliliter vial from Oxford, England, containing the cellular material for one of the world’s most promising coronavirus vaccines.

fr: fiole

This glossary was made with the Virtual Writing Tutor glossary maker and grammar checker.