Etymology

polypharmacy

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Today it means: The use of multiple drugs to treat multiple concurrent disorders in the same (now especially elderly) patient, chiefly with connotations of indiscriminate or excessive prescription (involving overmedication and overprescription). Full definition →

First used 18th c.Ancient Greek πολυφάρμακος
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The story

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromπολυφάρμακος
  2. English todaypolypharmacy

From poly- + pharmacy, after Ancient Greek πολυφάρμακος (poluphármakos).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 18th c. The use of multiple drugs to treat multiple concurrent disorders in the same (now especially elderly) patient, chiefly with connotations of indiscriminate or excessive prescription (involving overmedication and overprescription).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.