Drugmaker

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A business that develops, produces and sells medicines and other pharmaceutical products to the public or to hospitals
2. An organization engaged in making drugs for medical treatment, typically on a large commercial scale
3. A firm or manufacturer whose work is creating medications for use in healthcare and disease prevention

Etymology: "Drugmaker" is a plain compound of "drug" and "maker," joining two English words that each have their own long history. "Drug" came into English in the late Middle Ages, borrowed from Old French "drogue," and "maker" is an old Germanic formation, from the Old English "macian," meaning to make or form. Put together, the word describes someone who makes drugs, whether that means a pharmaceutical company, a chemist preparing medicines, or someone producing illicit substances. The compound's transparency is part of its interest: unlike many scientific terms built from Greek or Latin pieces, "drugmaker" needs no classical training to decode, and it shows how English readily joins native and borrowed elements into new words as the need arises.

Synonyms: pharmaceutical company, drug company, pharmaceutical manufacturer