quinine

[ kwahy-nahyn, kwin-ahynor, especially British, kwi-neen ]

noun

, Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a white, bitter, slightly water-soluble alkaloid, C 2 0 H 2 4 N 2 O 2 , having needlelike crystals, obtained from cinchona bark: used in medicine chiefly in the treatment of resistant forms of malaria.
2. a salt of this alkaloid, especially the sulfate.

quinine

/ ˈkwaɪnaɪn; kwɪˈniːn /

noun

1. 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

quinine

/ kwī′nīn′ /

1. 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.
2. See Note at aspirin

Word History and Origins

Origin of quinine¹

1820–30; < Spanish quin ( a ) (< Quechua kina bark) + -ine ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of quinine¹

C19: from Spanish quina cinchona bark, from Quechua kina bark

Example Sentences

Certain toxic compounds, like quinine, taste "bitter" to bees, so the researchers sought to find out whether this sense of taste could help them avoid drinking pesticides.

From Science Daily

Carbonated water failed to do that but it did inspire the creation of medicated water, or tonic water infused with quinine from the bark of the cinchona tree.

From Salon

I used to have a prescription for quinine which would immediately end the cramps.

From Seattle Times

Haupt told him, "I had a fever in Mexico and had been taking quinine."

From Literature

In one test, $1.6 million was sent to Thailand, where a lab ended up giving accidental doses of quinine to primate test subjects, killing three of them.

From Washington Times

Related Words

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• drug
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• fix
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• panacea
• placebo
• quick fix
• recovery
• remedy
• treatment