Pharmacopoeia, pharmacopeia, or pharmacopoea, (literally, 'drug-making'), in its modern technical sense, is a book containing directions for the identification of samples and the preparation of compound medicine

Medicine

Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....

s, and published by the authority of a government or a medical or pharmaceutical society.

In a broader sense it is a reference work

Reference work

A reference work is a compendium of information, usually of a specific type, compiled in a book for ease of reference. That is, the information is intended to be quickly found when needed. Reference works are usually referred to for particular pieces of information, rather than read beginning to end...

 for pharmaceutical drug specifications.
The word derives from Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...

 φαρμακοποιΐα (pharmakopoiia), from φαρμακο- (pharmako-) 'drug', followed by the verb-stem ποι- (poi-) 'make' and finally the abstract noun ending -ια (-ia).