decoction

[dih-kok-shuh n]

See more synonyms for decoction on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act of decocting.
Pharmacology.
1. an extract obtained by decocting.
2. water in which a crude vegetable drug has been boiled and which therefore contains the constituents or principles of the substance soluble in boiling water.

Origin of decoction

1350–1400; Middle English decoccioun < Old French decoction < Late Latin dēcoctiōn- (stem of dēcoctiō) a boiling down, equivalent to dēcoct(us), past participle of dēcoquere (dē- de- + coc-, for coquere to cook¹ + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion

Related formsde·coc·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for decoction

whiskey, booze, alcohol, arrangement, commodity, profit, brand, work, amount, crop, production, fruit, produce, device, output, merchandise, stock, porridge, puree, chowder

Examples from the Web for decoction

Historical Examples of decoction

The decoction ready, Leon rubbed it in thoroughly into Stuart's skin.
Plotting in Pirate Seas
Francis Rolt-Wheeler
Our children drink a decoction of ideal love, at the breast.
Fantasia of the Unconscious
D. H. Lawrence
He was directed to take the decoction of Digitalis night and morning.
An Account of the Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses
William Withering
He took the decoction with three drams, and was soon relieved.
An Account of the Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses
William Withering
It is yellow, and the decoction from it is almost colorless.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 15, No. 87, January, 1865
Various

British Dictionary definitions for decoction

decoction

noun

pharmacol the extraction of the water-soluble substances of a drug or medicinal plants by boiling
the essence or liquor resulting from this

Word Origin for decoction

C14: from Old French, from Late Latin dēcoctiō, from dēcoquere to boil down, from coquere to cook

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for decoction

late 14c., from French décoction (13c.) or directly from Latin decoctionem (nominative decoctio) "a boiling down," noun of action from past participle stem of decoquere "to boil down," from de- "down" (see de-) + coquere "to cook" (see cook (n.)).