quinine

American  

[kwahy-nahyn, kwin-ahyn, kwi-neen] / ˈkwaɪ naɪn, ˈkwɪn aɪn, kwɪˈnin /

noun

Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a white, bitter, slightly water-soluble alkaloid, C 2 0 H 2 4 N 2 O 2 , having needlelike crystals, obtained from cinchona bark: used in medicine chiefly in the treatment of resistant forms of malaria.

2. a salt of this alkaloid, especially the sulfate.

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quinine British  

/ ˈkwaɪnaɪn, kwɪˈniːn /

noun

1. a bitter crystalline alkaloid extracted from cinchona bark, the salts of which are used as a tonic, antipyretic, analgesic, etc, and in malaria therapy. Formula: C 20 H 24 N 2 O 2

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quinine Scientific  

/ kwī′nīn′ /

1. A bitter-tasting, colorless drug derived from the bark of certain cinchona trees and used medicinally to treat malaria. For hundreds of years quinine was the only drug known to effectively combat malarial infection. It has since been largely replaced by synthetic compounds that not only relieve the symptoms of malaria but also rid the body of the malarial parasite, which quinine does not do.

2. See Note at aspirin

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Etymology

Origin of quinine

1820–30; < Spanish quin ( a ) (< Quechua kina bark) + -ine ²

Compare meaning

How does quinine compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• quinidine vs. quinine

Explanation

Quinine is a bitter-tasting substance that comes from tree bark. In the past, quinine was used to prevent malaria, but today it's mainly an ingredient in tonic water. In the 19th century, British colonists in India added gin to their anti-malarial dose of quinine to make it taste better; people still drink gin with tonic today, though typically not for medicinal purposes. While quinine is still occasionally given to those at risk of malaria in the form of a bitter salt, other treatments have fewer side effects. Quinine's potential to cause cardiovascular problems, even in the small amounts present in tonic water and bitter lemon, makes many people avoid it.

Example Sentences

Quinine in sugar solution was deterrent to bees at high concentrations.

From Science Daily • Nov. 16, 2023

Quinine is an antimalarial drug that is used to treat malaria in the Western Hemisphere.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Quinine, or the lack of it, has played a critical role in warfare for generations, as doctors tried to fight off the impact of malaria, which could decimate an army with fevers and chills.

From Washington Post • Apr. 22, 2020

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

Quinine pills taste bad enough to give you a hair problem.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

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