nostrum
nostrums
Though you try many medicines that claim to cure your cold, none of them work. They turn out to be nostrums, or ineffective drugs.
Nostrum refers to a cure-all, a drug, or a medicine that is ineffectual. Before drugs were regulated by the government, there were many nostrums sold to the public. “Snake oil” is one of the most well-known. Said to cure any ailment from achy joints to hair loss, snake oil concoctions could contain a number of ingredients — including camphor, red pepper, and turpentine.
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patent medicine whose efficacy is questionable
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type of:
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patent medicine
medicine that is protected by a patent and available without a doctor's prescription
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patent medicine
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hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases; once sought by the alchemists
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synonyms:
catholicon, cure-all, panacea
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types:
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elixir
a substance believed to cure all ills
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elixir of life
a hypothetical substance believed to maintain life indefinitely; once sought by alchemists
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type of:
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curative, cure, remedy, therapeutic
a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieve pain
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elixir
Vocabulary lists containing nostrum
This list of challenge words features some of the hardest words that you will encounter in the Verbal Reasoning section of the GRE. These are words that typically appear less frequently across different academic disciplines, so you are less likely to have encountered them before. Master these difficult words and watch your GRE score soar!
This novel is a fictionalized account of the life of Juan de Pareja, the half-African slave of famed painter Diego Velázquez in 17th century Spain.
This nonfiction book recounts the story of how a 245 BCE sea journey from Athens to Alexandria inspired Eratosthenes of Cyrene to contemplate the stars and measure the distance around the earth.
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