tincture

/ˈtɪŋ(k)tʃər/

Other forms: tinctured; tinctures; tincturing

A tincture is a trace or indication that reveals the presence of something. In pharmacology, a tincture is type of medicine extracted from a plant in an alcohol solution.

There are many meanings to the word tincture, but most of them involve something that leaves a trace or residue. A barrel-aged drink could have a tincture of oak. After a breakup, seeing an old flame could leave a tincture of sadness. When making drugs, a tincture is created by soaking a plant in an alcohol solution: traces of the plant are absorbed into the alcohol, creating medicine. The root is the Latin word tinctura, "act of dying or tingeing."

Definitions of tincture

1. noun

   a substance that colors metals
   types:

   argent

   a metal tincture used in heraldry to give a silvery appearance

   type of:

   color, coloring material, colour, colouring material

   any material used for its color
2. noun

   an indication that something has been present
   “a tincture of condescension”

   synonyms: shadow, trace, vestige

   types:

   footprint

   a trace suggesting that something was once present or felt or otherwise important

   type of:

   indicant, indication

   something that serves to indicate or suggest
3. noun

   a quality of a given color that differs slightly from another color
   synonyms: shade, tint, tone

   types:

   mellowness

   a soft shade of a color

   richness

   a strong deep vividness of hue

   tinge, undertone

   a pale or subdued color

   type of:

   color, coloring, colour, colouring

   a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
4. verb

   stain or tint with a color
   “The leaves were tinctured with a bright red”

   type of:

   tinct, tinge, tint, touch

   color lightly
5. verb

   fill, as with a certain quality
   “The heavy traffic tinctures the air with carbon monoxide”

   synonyms: impregnate, infuse, instill

   type of:

   fill, fill up, make full

   make full, also in a metaphorical sense
6. noun

   (pharmacology) a medicine consisting of an extract in an alcohol solution
   types:

   iodine, tincture of iodine

   a tincture consisting of a solution of iodine in ethyl alcohol; applied topically to wounds as an antiseptic

   arnica

   used especially in treating bruises

   type of:

   medicament, medication, medicinal drug, medicine

   (medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease