Authoritative; denoting a drug or a chemical or pharmaceutical preparation recognized as standard in the pharmacopeia. Cf.:officinal. [L. officialis, fr. officium, a favor, service, fr. opus, work, + facio, to do]
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of·fi·cial ə-'fish-əl adj prescribed or recognized as authorized specif described by the U.S. Pharmacopeia or the National Formulary compare NONOFFICIAL, UNOFFICIAL
of·fi·cial·ly -'fish-(ə-)lē adv
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of·fi·cial (ə-fishґəl) [L. officialis; officum duty] recognized by the current U. S. Pharmacopeia or National Formulary, and meeting the standards established by the respective authority.Medical dictionary. 2011.