NOSTRUM

nostrum

(noun) patent medicine whose efficacy is questionable

panacea, nostrum, catholicon, cure-all

(noun) hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases; once sought by the alchemists

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

nostrum (plural nostrums or nostra)

A medicine or remedy in conventional use which has not been proven to have any desirable medical effects.

An ineffective but favorite remedy for a problem, usually involving political action.

Coordinate terms

• cure-all

• panacea

• patent medicine

• snake oil

Anagrams

• Urmston

Source: Wiktionary


Nos"trum n.; pl. Nostrums. Etym: [Neut. sing. of L. noster ours, fr. nos we. See Us.]

1. A medicine, the ingredients of which are kept secret for the purpose of restricting the profits of sale to the inventor or proprietor; a quack medicine.

2. Any scheme or device proposed by a quack. The incentives of agitators, the arts of impostors and the nostrums of quacks. Brougham.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

4 April 2025

GUILLOTINE

(verb) kill by cutting the head off with a guillotine; “The French guillotined many Vietnamese while they occupied the country”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

In 1884, Angelo Moriondo of Turin, Italy, demonstrated the first working example of an espresso machine.

coffee icon