cinchona

American  

[sing-koh-nuh, sin-] / sɪŋˈkoʊ nə, sɪn- /

noun

1. any of several trees or shrubs of the genus Cinchona, of the madder family, especially C. calisaya, native to the Andes, cultivated there and in Java and India for its bark, which yields quinine and other alkaloids.

2. Also called Jesuit's bark, Peruvian bark.  the medicinal bark of such trees or shrubs.

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cinchona British  

/ sɪŋˈkɒnɪk, sɪŋˈkəʊnə /

noun

1. any tree or shrub of the South American rubiaceous genus Cinchona, esp C. calisaya, having medicinal bark

2. Also called: cinchona bark.   Peruvian bark.   calisaya.   china bark.  the dried bark of any of these trees, which yields quinine and other medicinal alkaloids

3. any of the drugs derived from cinchona bark

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cinchonic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cinchona

< New Latin, the Linnaean genus name, after Francisca Enriques de Ribera, Countess of Chinchón (died 1641), who was associated with the introduction of quinine into Europe, in several accounts now considered spurious

Example Sentences

Tantalosin is a synthetic molecule inspired by alkaloids from the medical plant Cinchona.

From Science Daily • May 3, 2024

Cinchona trees grew only in the Andes, however, and there were not enough to meet the European demand.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

Quinine is a compound found in the bark of the Cinchona tree and has been used to treat malaria.

From Washington Times • Apr. 10, 2020

Due to its medicinal properties, Cinchona was a key focus of many Spanish botanical expeditions to South America, including those by Hipólito Ruiz López and José Antonio Pavón, and by José Celestino Mutis.

From Scientific American • Nov. 13, 2018

The yellow, among which figure the Cinchona calisaya, lancifolia, condaminea, micrantha, pubescens, etc., are placed in the first rank: the red, orange and gray are less esteemed.

From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 11, No. 22, January, 1873 by Various