decoction

[ dih-kok-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of decocting.
2. 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.

decoction

/ dɪˈkɒkʃən /

noun

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

Other Words From

• de·coctive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of decoction¹

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 cook ¹ + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of decoction¹

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

Example Sentences

It takes about 10 minutes for the decoction to percolate into the glass below.

From BBC

So did doctors, whose quack remedies included cupping, bleeding and herbal decoctions.

From The Guardian

At-the-ready decoction is a thrilling convenience, even for someone like me who carries her filter everywhere she goes.

From Salon

By March, TCM remedies constituted some of China's health ministry’s recommended treatments for COVID-19, and included a couple of dozen pills, powders, injectable therapies and recipes to make herbal teas, known as decoctions.

From Nature

What is the voice, I meditated, but an expulsion of air; a few vapors scented with the curdled decoctions of the stomach, vegetables mulching and pulverized beef?

From Literature

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