English
druggist
Druggist comes from French droguiste, from drogue ‘drug’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- ‘to hold, hold fast, support’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰer-1‘to hold, hold fast, support’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰrewgʰ-1‘to strengthen’uncertain
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*draugiz2‘hard, solid’uncertain
- Old Dutchc. 500–1150*drōgi2‘dry’uncertain
- Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500droge3‘dry’uncertain
- Frenchc. 1600–presentdrogue4‘drug’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentdroguiste5
- Englishearliest quotation 1777druggist5
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *draugiz
- 2 Wiktionary, Middle Dutch droge
- 3 Wiktionary, French drogue
- 4 Wiktionary, French droguiste
- 5 Wiktionary, English druggist
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1777, : Sir Lucius Cary: “No druggist of the soul bestow'd on all /…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰer-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *draugiz‘to hold, hold fast, support’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰrewgʰ-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *draugiz‘to strengthen’uncertain
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*draugizWiktionary, Middle Dutch droge‘hard, solid’uncertain
- Old Dutchc. 500–1150*drōgiWiktionary, Middle Dutch droge‘dry’uncertain
- Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500drogeWiktionary, French drogue‘dry’uncertain
- Frenchc. 1600–presentdrogueWiktionary, French droguiste‘drug’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentdroguisteWiktionary, English druggist
- Englishearliest quotation 1777druggistWiktionary, English druggist. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1777, : Sir Lucius Cary: “No druggist of the soul bestow'd on all /…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- ‘to hold, hold fast, support’
dark, firm, dry, drama, dare, throne, drone, feasible, formidable, refrain, darn, dharma, drastic, dazed, dor, dern, 42 more
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewgʰ- ‘to strengthen’
dream, fraud, drainage, drudge, truculent, 16 more
through Proto-Germanic *draugiz ‘hard, solid’
Today it means
noun A manufacturer and vendor of drugs and medicines.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “druggist”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *draugiz, Middle Dutch droge, French drogue, French droguiste. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- / druggist