What does medicamentary mean?
Medicamentary is a formal adjective meaning connected with medicine, remedies, or the treatment of disease. It is especially used when describing the medicinal or therapeutic properties of a substance, plant, preparation, or practice. In contemporary English, medicinal and therapeutic are generally more familiar and are often preferable in ordinary writing, while medicamentary can lend a scholarly or historical tone to medical and pharmacological discussion. The word is related to the Latin medicamentum, meaning “remedy” or “drug,” which also underlies medicament and medication. Medicamentary should not be confused with medicament: the latter names a substance used as a remedy, whereas medicamentary qualifies something by its relationship to medicine or its therapeutic role. Although the term is not restricted to a particular English-speaking region, it is now relatively uncommon.
Of or relating to medicine, remedies, or the treatment of disease.
"The manuscript contains detailed notes on medicamentary substances used by early physicians."
Formal and uncommon; medicinal or therapeutic is more common in modern usage.
Having medicinal or therapeutic properties.
"The extract showed medicamentary promise in preliminary laboratory tests."
Common in specialist, historical, and formal medical writing.
Medicamentary belongs to the Latin medicamentum, meaning “remedy”—the same root that gave us medicament, medication, and medicinal.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does medicamentary come from?
Medicamentary derives from Latin medicamentum, meaning “remedy,” “drug,” or “medicine,” with the adjective formed in the Latin manner. The same source underlies English medicament, medicinal, and medication. Medicamentary was used in English for medical or medicinal matters and survives chiefly as a formal or historical term.
Related word forms
How medicamentary is actually used
This is a formal, uncommon word, especially outside medical, pharmaceutical, and historical writing. It is less usual in everyday English than medicinal or therapeutic.
Easily confused with medicamentary
A medicament is a substance used as a remedy, whereas medicamentary is an adjective describing something connected with medicine or medicinal use.