quinine

noun

qui·​nine ˈkwī-ˌnīn 

also

ˈkwi- 

 or  kwi-ˈnīn,

 or  ki-ˈnēn,

 or  kwi-ˈnēn

1

: a bitter crystalline alkaloid C₂₀H₂₄N₂O₂ from cinchona bark used in medicine

2

: a salt of quinine used especially as an antipyretic, antimalarial, and bitter tonic

Examples of quinine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At one time, quinine was sold over the counter for cramps. —Joe Graedon and Teresa Graedon, oregonlive, 4 Sep. 2023

Subsequently, the agency has prohibited doctors from prescribing quinine for anything other than malaria. —Joe Graedon and Teresa Graedon, oregonlive, 4 Sep. 2023

If taken during pregnancy, quinine sometimes causes birth defects. —Joe Graedon and Teresa Graedon, oregonlive, 4 Sep. 2023

People tried to ameliorate M.S. with leeches, quinine, foxglove, tobacco, hemlock, valerian, coffee, tea, being suspended above the ground, vertically, for four minutes at a time, and being wrapped in sheets sprayed with cold water. —Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 17 July 2023

James Pimm, a farmer's son who owned an oyster bar in 19th-century London, created and offered his guests this secret mix of gin, quinine, and a spice blend as a tonic to aid digestion. —Sam Dangremond, Town & Country, 29 June 2023

Today, governments and philanthropists spend billions of dollars annually on bed nets, insecticides and a medicine called quinine to prevent infection and blunt malarial fever and other symptoms. —Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2023

The book is propelled by colorful characters and interesting tidbits, like the Centers for Disease Control's original name, the Office of Malaria Control in War Areas, and the fact that tonic water no longer has enough quinine in it to keep you malaria free. —Carol Deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2021

That changed when quinine was discovered to help prevent death from malaria. —Travis Loller, Fortune Well, 18 Apr. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Spanish quina cinchona, from Quechua kina bark

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing quinine

• quinine water

• quinine water

Kids Definition

quinine

noun

qui·​nine ˈkwī-ˌnīn 

 also  ˈkwin-ˌīn

: a bitter white drug obtained from cinchona bark and used especially to treat malaria

Medical Definition

quinine

noun

qui·​nine

ˈkwī-ˌnīn also ˈkwin-ˌīn, especially British kwin-ˈēn, ˈkwin-ēn

: a bitter crystalline alkaloid C₂₀H₂₄N₂O₂ obtained from cinchona bark that is used as a flavoring agent, has antipyretic and analgesic properties, and is administered orally in the form of its salts (as the hydrated sulfate (C₂₀H₂₄N₂O₂)₂·H₂SO₄·2H₂O) as an antimalarial