farmacéutico
/faɾmaˈθeutiko/masculine
The Spanish word for pharmacist is farmacéutico. Wiktionary also lists boticario and farmacopola.
Meaning: professional who dispenses prescription drugs (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| farmacéutico | /faɾmaˈθeutiko/ /faɾmaˈseutiko/ |
masculine |
| boticario | /botiˈkaɾjo/ | masculine |
| farmacopola | /faɾmakopola/ (from spelling rules) | masculine, uncommon |
The term refers to a professional who dispenses prescription drugs.
Which one should you use?
farmacéutico is the standard, modern term for a pharmacist. In contrast, boticario is an archaic or old-fashioned term that is more accurately translated as 'apothecary' and is rarely used in modern medical contexts. farmacopola is also an uncommon masculine form.
How does it change in a sentence?
farmacéutico is the masculine form. The feminine form is farmacéutica, which is used to refer to a female pharmacist.
How do you pronounce it?
/faɾmaˈθeutiko/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use farmacia to refer to a person. farmacia refers to the physical pharmacy or drugstore itself.
Did you know?
- The archaic term boticario is a linguistic doublet of the word bodeguero, which refers to a person who works in a 'bodega' or wine cellar.
- In Spain, a farmacéutico is a highly prestigious profession and requires a university degree, making the pharmacist a primary point of medical advice for the public.
- The word farmacéutico shares its root with the word 'pharmacy' in English, as both descend from the Greek 'pharmakon', meaning a drug or a charm.
Examples in context
- Él es un farmacéuticoHe is a pharmacist.This sentence is useful for stating someone's profession using farmacéutico.Tatoeba #8291776 by miguelhinojosa9, translation #6459830 by Eccles17
- Tom es farmacéutico, ¿no?Tom is a pharmacist, isn't he?This sentence is useful for confirming someone's profession using farmacéutico.Tatoeba #12903417 by entusiasta, translation #6902941 by CK
- Es un simple farmacéutico.He's only a pharmacist.This sentence is useful for describing someone as only a farmacéutico.Tatoeba #1037196 by Shishir, translation #9781317 by DJ_Saidez
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and María are standing in front of a pharmacy.
- Daniel¿Viste al farmacéutico de la esquina?Did you see the pharmacist on the corner?
- MaríaNo, Daniel, no lo he visto.No, Daniel, I haven't seen him.
- DanielEs que necesito un medicamento urgente.It's just that I need a medicine urgently.
- MaríaVamos a buscarlo juntos ahora.Let's go look for him together now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pharmacist” translations and entries farmacéutico, boticario, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries boticario, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
