noun
tincture
TINGK-cher/ˈtɪŋktʃər/
A medicinal or herbal solution made with alcohol.
The amber bottle holds a tincture beside its dropper and a botanical sprig.
Etymology
From dyeing and soaking, tincture came to denote medicinal ointments, perhaps because they colored the skin or carried a substance’s essential properties. That medicinal use developed into the sense of an alcoholic solution.
In context
A tincture uses alcohol, usually a strong brandy or rum to create a much more potent and long-lasting extract over weeks or months. This was the colonial version of a high potency liquid supplement.
More examples
- She makes a tincture by soaking dried herbs in alcohol.
- The label lists the tincture's alcohol content.
- These herbal tinctures come in bottles with droppers.
Forms
tincture · tinctures