quinine
a white, bitter, slightly water-soluble alkaloid, C20H24N2O2, having needlelike crystals, obtained from cinchona bark: used in medicine chiefly in the treatment of resistant forms of malaria.
a salt of this alkaloid, especially the sulfate.
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Origin of quinine
1Words Nearby quinine
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use quinine in a sentence
But then came quinine, perhaps the first effective antimicrobial of them all.
A Malaria Vaccine That Cuts 46% of Infections Is a 100% a Big Deal | Kent Sepkowitz | October 9, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST(Tonic water made today still notes “contains quinine” on the label).
A Malaria Vaccine That Cuts 46% of Infections Is a 100% a Big Deal | Kent Sepkowitz | October 9, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTquinine, cholagogue, and whiskey were prescribed in large quantities, and Peter wondered why they failed to cure.
The Cromptons | Mary J. HolmesHe did not suspect that the quinine went into the fire, and the cholagogue down the drain-pipe from the washstand.
The Cromptons | Mary J. HolmesAccordingly, temperance was said farewell to, quinine instituted, and I believe my pains are soon to be over.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25) | Robert Louis Stevenson
The sight of this last reminded the official that he had fever lately; Could the Englishman spare him a little quinine?
The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. WigramDoses were given out to all who wished for it, for a few grains of quinine seldom go amiss in this country.
Silver Chimes in Syria | W. S. Nelson
British Dictionary definitions for quinine
/ (kwɪˈniːn, US ˈkwaɪnaɪn) /
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
Origin of quinine
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for quinine
[ kwī′nīn′ ]
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. See Note at aspirin.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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