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Glite Dictionary
⚖️ A small weight 💧 A small amount 🪙 Greek coin
drachm

drachm

9.9
A small measure of liquid used in old medicine and recipes
  • noun
  • /drækm/
  • Archaic
translation icon : dracma
  • A recipe from the 19th century called for half a drachm of saffron.

Examples

  • In historical texts, measurements such as the drachm are commonly found.

  • The old apothecary carefully measured one drachm of the tincture for the prescription.

  • The drachm is a lesser-known unit of measure.

  • He bought three drachms of the herbal extract.

  • In traditional medicine, the patient was prescribed a tincture of herbs measured at one drachm.

  • The pharmacist recommended taking a maximum of two drachms of the herbal remedy daily.

  • For accurate measurements, the recipe calls for one drachm of the powdered substance.

Synonyms

fluidram
vsdrachm
  • Archaic
9.9

A small old measure of liquid equal to about three and a half milliliters

is the traditional small volume unit used in British apothecary systems
fluid dram
vsdrachm
  • Archaic
9.9

A small old liquid measure used for medicine, about 3.6 millilitres

is the traditional small volume unit used in British imperial and apothecary systems

Surface Forms

drachm singular
drachms plural

Etymology

Drachm comes from the Greek drachmē, meaning 'a handful', so people used the word for tiny amounts of liquid as well as for weight. That's why a drachm can mean a small unit of capacity in old recipes and apothecary measures.