pharmacopole means synonym of quack: a peddler of fraudulent medicines and cures. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
Why “pharmacopole” is a great word
A peddler of fraudulent medicines and cures; a quack. From Latin pharmacopola, from Ancient Greek φαρμακοπώλης (pharmakopṓlēs), from φάρμακον (phármakon, 'drug, charm, enchantment') + -πώλης (-pṓlēs, '-seller, -monger'). Unlike a pharmacist, a licensed professional bound by science, or an apothecary, a historical figure of legitimate trade, the pharmacopole traffics in the shadow between remedy and ruse. He is the glint of a colored elixir in a dusty bottle, the grandiose promise barked from a traveling cart, the greasy pamphlet left on a park bench—the ancient commerce in hope, preying on the human dread of suffering.
Etymology
From Latin pharmacopola, from Ancient Greek φαρμακοπώλης (pharmakopṓlēs), from φάρμακον (phármakon, “drug, charm, enchantment”) + -πώλης (-pṓlēs, “-seller, -monger”). Doublet of pharmacopolist.
noun
- Synonym of quack: a peddler of fraudulent medicines and cures.