'pharmacist' originates from Modern English, formed from 'pharmacy' + the agent suffix '-ist'; 'pharmacy' comes from Old French 'farmacie' and Latin 'pharmacia', ultimately from Greek 'pharmakon' meaning 'drug'.

'pharmakon' (Greek) changed into Latin 'pharmacia', then Old French 'farmacie', entered Middle English as 'pharmacie'/'pharmacy', and the English agent-forming suffix '-ist' produced 'pharmacist' (established in the 18th–19th centuries).

Initially it referred broadly to someone dealing with drugs or remedies; over time it specialized to mean a trained or licensed professional who prepares, dispenses, and advises on medicines.