nostrum — (n.) quack medicine, c.1600, from L. nostrum remedium our remedy, presumably that prepared by the person offering it, from L. nostrum, neuter of noster our, from nos we, from PIE *nos (see US (Cf. us)) … Etymology dictionary
Nostrum — Nos trum ( tr[u^]m), n.; pl. {Nostrums} ( tr[u^]mz). [Neut. sing. of L. noster ours, fr. nos we. See {Us}.] [1913 Webster] 1. A medicine, the ingredients of which are kept secret for the purpose of restricting the profits of sale to the inventor… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
nostrum — [n] cure all, often ineffective catholicon, cure, drug, elixir, fix, formula, home remedy, medicine, panacea, patent medicine, potion, quack medicine*, quick fix*, remedy, treatment; concepts 307,311 … New thesaurus
nostrum — ► NOUN 1) a quack medicine. 2) a favourite method for bringing about reform. ORIGIN Latin, something of our own making … English terms dictionary
nostrum — [näs′trəm] n. [L, neut. of noster, ours (< nos, we: see US): ? so called from the seller s calling it “our” remedy] 1. a) a medicine prepared by the person selling it b) a patent medicine of a kind sold with exaggerated claims; quack medicine… … English World dictionary
Nostrum — A worthless remedy. Nostrum is an example of a term that came from medicine, entered the world beyond medicine, fell into disuse in medicine, but is still used outside medicine. A nostrum was a medicine of secret composition recommended by the… … Medical dictionary
nostrum — (entrée créée par le supplément) (no strom ) s. m. • En Normandie, connaître le nostrum, savoir son affaire, être au courant d une chose, DELBOULLE Gloss. de la vallée d Yères, le Havre, 1876, p. 242. Perdre le nostrum, perdre la tête, ne… … Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré
nostrum — nos|trum [ˈnɔstrəm US ˈna: ] n formal [Date: 1600 1700; : Latin; Origin: nostrum something of ours ] an idea that someone thinks will solve a problem easily, but will probably not help at all ▪ an economic nostrum … Dictionary of contemporary English
nostrum — UK [ˈnɒstrəm] / US [ˈnɑstrəm] noun [countable] Word forms nostrum : singular nostrum plural nostrums formal an idea for solving a problem, especially an idea that is unlikely to be effective … English dictionary
nostrum — noun Etymology: Latin, neuter of noster our, ours, from nos we more at us Date: 1602 1. a medicine of secret composition recommended by its preparer but usually without scientific proof of its effectiveness 2. a usually questionable remedy or… … New Collegiate Dictionary
