bitter principle

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. any of several hundred natural compounds, usually of vegetable origin, having a bitter taste, and not admitting of any chemical classification.

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bitter principle British  

noun

1. any of various bitter-tasting substances, such as aloin, usually extracted from plants

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Etymology

Origin of bitter principle

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bitter principle

Turnips contain a large quantity of matter capable of affording nourishment to the body, but they yield little or none of the bitter principle.

From A Treatise on Sheep: The Best Means for their Improvement, General Management, and the Treatment of their Diseases. by Ambrose Blacklock

A product, used as a substitute for or an adulterant of coffee, containing a bitter principle, and made from the root of the endive and other similar plants.

From The Wonder Island Boys: Exploring the Island by Roger Thompson Finlay

Its aromatic bitter stimulant properties are like those of cubebs, and depend on a volatile oil, a dark-green resin, and a peculiar bitter principle called maticin.

From Catalogue of Economic Plants in the Collection of the U. S. Department of Agriculture by William Saunders

The root-bark of E. atropurpureus is the source of euonymin, a bitter principle with a powerful stimulating effect on the liver.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia Volume 4, Part 3: Estremoz to Felspar by Various

Four species have been shown by M. G. Bertrand to contain no caffeine at all, but instead a considerable quantity of a bitter principle.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 6 "Cockaigne" to "Columbus, Christopher" by Various