Chemist: A Scientist in America, a Pharmacy in Britain
A chemist is a scientist who studies chemistry. In British English the word also means a pharmacist and the shop they work in, which regularly confuses visitors.
A chemist studies or works with chemistry. In Britain the same word means a pharmacist, and *the chemist's* is the shop where you collect a prescription — so a British chemist may never have set foot in a laboratory.
- A scientist working in chemistry. *A research chemist.*
- A pharmacist (British). *Ask the chemist about the dose.*
- A pharmacy (British). *There is a chemist on the corner.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | chemist | An analytical chemist. |
| Noun | chemistry | Organic chemistry. |
| Adjective | chemical | A chemical reaction. |
| US equivalent | pharmacist | Speak to the pharmacist. |
| Historical | alchemist | A medieval alchemist. |
How it is used in a sentence
- I need to go to the chemist's.British — the shop, with the possessive.
- She works as a chemist for a paint manufacturer.The scientific sense, used everywhere.
- The two actors had real chemistry.Figurative — a natural rapport.
Chemist, pharmacist and druggist
- Chemist (UK) — dispenses medicines; also a laboratory scientist
- Pharmacist — the international professional term
- Druggist — older American word for the same role
- Drugstore (US) — sells medicines plus a great deal else
- Dispensing chemist — the full British shop-sign version
From *alchemist*, shortened in the sixteenth century, ultimately from Arabic *al-kimiya*. Chemistry and alchemy are the same word split in two — one kept the science, the other the mysticism.
Chemist or pharmacy in Britain?
Both are used. Chemist is the everyday spoken word, pharmacy the formal sign above the counter.
Why does chemistry mean rapport?
From the idea of substances reacting when combined. The metaphor became fixed in the twentieth century.