tincture

/'tiɳktʃə/

Thân thiện

The pharmacist prepared a tincture of echinacea in a glass bottle.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • A medicinal extract in an alcohol solution: In pharmacology, a tincture is a liquid preparation where the active ingredient of a plant or herb is dissolved in alcohol.
   • A slight shade, tint, or color: A tincture is a subtle variation or quality of a specific color.
   • A faint trace or vestige of something: A tincture can be a very small amount or a barely perceptible indication of a quality, feeling, or substance.
   • A substance used to color metals: In heraldry or metalworking, a tincture is a pigment or stain used to impart color.

2. Verb:

   • To stain, tint, or color slightly: To impart a faint color or shade to something.
   • To imbue or infuse with a slight trace of a quality: To fill or permeate something with a subtle element, often a feeling or characteristic.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • She applied a tincture of iodine to the wound for disinfection.
  • The artist mixed a tincture of blue into the gray to create a cooler tone.
  • His speech carried a tincture of irony that was hard to miss.
  • The heraldic shield was painted using various tinctures like azure and gules.

• Verb:

  • The setting sun tinctured the clouds with hues of orange and purple.
  • His years of travel tinctured his worldview with a deep sense of curiosity.

Advanced Usage

• "A tincture of [abstract quality]": Used to describe a small, subtle amount of an abstract quality.

  • His formal apology was delivered with a tincture of reluctance.

• In heraldic terminology: "Tincture" refers specifically to the colors, metals, and furs used in a coat of arms.

  • The tinctures of the family crest were argent (silver) and sable (black).

Variants and Related Words

• Tinctured (adj): Slightly colored or imbued with a quality.

  • The tinctured glass filtered the sunlight.

• Tincturing (n): The act or process of coloring or infusing.

Synonyms

• Noun: tint, shade, tinge, trace, vestige, hint, solution, extract.
• Verb: tint, tinge, stain, color, imbue, infuse, suffuse.

Phrasal Verbs / Related Constructions

(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs. Its usage is typically straightforward as a verb followed by a direct object or prepositional phrase like "tinctured with...")

Related Idioms

• "A tincture of truth": A very small element of truth within a larger statement or story.
  • The outrageous rumor contained only a faint tincture of truth.

Học thuật

Noun

1. (pharmacology) a medicine consisting of an extract in an alcohol solution
2. a quality of a given color that differs slightly from another color
   • after several trials he mixed the shade of pink that she wanted
3. an indication that something has been present
   • there wasn't a trace of evidence for the claim
   • a tincture of condescension
4. a substances that colors metals

Verb

1. stain or tint with a color
   • The leaves were tinctured with a bright red
2. fill, as with a certain quality
   • The heavy traffic tinctures the air with carbon monoxide

Từ đồng nghĩa

• shade
• tint
• tone
• trace
• vestige
• shadow
• impregnate
• infuse
• instill