Pharmacologically

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˌfɑɹməkəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkəli/

Definitions

1. In a way that pertains to how substances influence biological systems and the therapeutic effects they produce on living organisms
2. Relating to the interactions and effects of drugs on biological entities and their clinical implications
3. In a manner that relates to the study of drug interactions and their physiological impacts on living organisms and potential medical uses

Etymology: Pharmacologically is a long chain of parts, each added to a Greek core. The root is Greek "phármakon", which meant a drug, a remedy, and also a poison, a sense the English word keeps in its ancestry. English took the combining form "pharmaco-" from it, and "-logy", from Greek "-logia" through Latin and French, gives the sense of a systematic study. "Pharmacology" thus means the study of drugs. The adjective "pharmacological" adds "-ical", a suffix formed from Latin "-icus" and "-alis" that turns a noun into a related adjective, so it means "relating to pharmacology." Adding "-ly" then turns it into an adverb, which comes from Old English "-līce", a form of the word "līc" meaning body or form. The ending therefore carries the sense of "in the manner of," and the whole word means "in a way relating to pharmacology."

Synonyms: medicinally, therapeutically, chemically, biologically, physiologically