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Glite Dictionary
💰 Greek money ⚖️ A weight unit
drachma

drachma

1 9.9
A small old medicine weight equal to about 3.89 grams
  • noun
  • /ˈdrækmə/
  • Archaic
translation icon : dracma
  • The pharmacist carefully measured out a drachma of the compound.

Examples

  • One drachma is equivalent to 60 grains.

  • In old medical recipes, a drachma of powder would often be prescribed for daily use.

  • Each drachma in the apothecary system corresponds to about 3.89 grams.

  • Can you convert drachmas to ounces?

  • The pharmacist measured the ingredients using a drachma scale.

  • In ancient medicine, a drachma was a common weight for herbs and powders.

  • To ensure accuracy, the recipe required one drachma of powdered root.

Synonyms

drachm
vsdrachma
  • Archaic
9.9

A small weight used long ago in medicine and cooking

has identical meaning but is spelled as an alternative form

Compounds

Greek drachma
  • Archaic
6.7

The old unit of money used in Greece before the euro

Surface Forms

drachma singular
drachmas plural

Etymology

Drachma for the small apothecary weight comes from Greek drachmē, which meant 'a handful'. That idea of a small amount you can hold also appears in the English word dram, so a drachma was used to measure medicine.