Word of the Day

: January 30, 2018

tincture

noun TINK-cher

What It Means

1 : a solution of a medicinal substance in an alcoholic solvent

2 a : a characteristic quality : cast

b : a slight admixture : trace

3 : color, tint

4 : a heraldic metal, color, or fur

tincture in Context

"You can find turmeric in powder culinary spice form and in its whole root form, as well as in tincture, tablets, and capsules." — Aly Walansky, PopSugar, 21 Dec. 2017

"Yet, while there is nothing Roth despises more than the cheap turn of 'consolation'—the moments in a play or a book where everyone discovers love and feels better—the real arc of Roth's career, as he presents it here, has a tincture of hope." — Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2017

Did You Know?

Tincture derives from the same root as tint and tinge—the Latin verb tingere, meaning "to moisten or dip." Tincture specifically derives via Middle English from the Latin tinctus, the past participle of tingere. When the word first appeared in English in the 14th century, tincture referred to a coloring matter or dye, but by the 17th century the word had acquired a number of additional meanings, including "a slight infusion or trace of something." Tinge and shade are two other words referring to color that can be used the same way. Tincture can also refer, among other things, to the colors used in a coat of arms or an herbal or medicinal solution.