tincture

[tingk-cher]

noun

1. Pharmacology.,  a solution of alcohol or of alcohol and water, containing animal, vegetable, or chemical drugs.

2. a slight infusion, as of some element or quality.

   A tincture of education had softened his rude manners.

3. a trace; a smack or smattering; tinge.

   a tincture of irony.

4. Heraldry.,  any of the colors, metals, or furs used for the fields, charges, etc., of an escutcheon or achievement of arms.

5. a dye or pigment.

verb (used with object)

tinctured, tincturing 

1. to impart a tint or color to; tinge.

2. to imbue or infuse with something.

tincture

/ ˈtɪŋktʃə /

noun

1. pharmacol a medicinal extract in a solution of alcohol

2. a tint, colour, or tinge

3. a slight flavour, aroma, or trace

4. any one of the colours or either of the metals used on heraldic arms

5. obsolete,  a dye or pigment

verb

1. (tr) to give a tint or colour to

Other Word Forms

• pretincture noun
• untinctured adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tincture¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: “dye,” from Latin tīnctūra “dyeing”; equivalent to tinct + -ure

Word History and Origins

Origin of tincture¹

C14: from Latin tinctūra a dyeing, from tingere to dye

Example Sentences

The psychiatrist kept referring to “the tincture of time,” promising we’d know more in three months, or six, or nine.

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Lawrence bounds over to a shelf with several jars of a brown tinctured slurry, the results of which they’ll use to create a cacao perfume.

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Nowadays, any pseudoscientific tinctures or broths are about as good as you can expect from the U.S. health care system.

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Once seated, guests are presented with a wooden box that includes 10 sample tinctures of their “Mexico Through the Senses” cocktail menu.

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Critics say the proposed regulations would effectively outlaw a wide range of popular tinctures, capsules, beverages and other products derived from industrial hemp, including those that contain mostly CBD, a non-intoxicating cousin of THC.

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