nostrum

noun

nos·trum ˈnä-strəm How to pronounce nostrum (audio)

: a medicine of secret composition recommended by its preparer but usually without scientific proof of its effectiveness

… is put to work at county fairs, promoting a quack nostrum for pain relief.

Patrick McGrath

: a usually questionable remedy or scheme : panacea

an audience eager to believe he had found the nostrum for all of society's ills

Warren Sloat

Did you know?

"Whether there was real efficacy in these nostrums, and whether their author himself had faith in them, is more than can safely be said," wrote 19th-century American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, "but, at all events, the public believed in them." The word nostrum has often been linked to quack medicine and false hopes for miracle cures, but there's nothing deceitful about its etymology. It has been a part of English since at least the early 17th century, and it comes from the Latin noster, meaning "our" or "ours." Some think that specially prepared medicinal concoctions came to be called nostrums because their purveyors marketed them as "our own" remedy. In other words, the use of nostrum emphasized that such a potion was unique or exclusive to the pitchman peddling it.

Example Sentences

politicians repeating all the usual nostrums about the economy using garlic as a nostrum to prevent disease

Recent Examples on the Web This episode of What’s Ahead lays out why Schumer’s nostrum is the economic equivalent of doctors who centuries ago thought bleeding patients was a great cure for all sorts of ailments.

Steve Forbes, Forbes, 3 May 2022 Musk himself has been a purveyor of damaging misinformation and disinformation on Twitter — promoting the useless anti-COVID nostrum hydroxychloroquine as well as economically dubious cryptocurrencies, for example.

Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2022 The old nostrum that France is ungovernable may be tested again.

New York Times, 23 Apr. 2022 The alternative-energy nostrum is make-believe, as are the other administration excuses for the sharp increase in gasoline prices.

Benjamin Zycher, National Review, 17 Mar. 2022 Ivermectin, that nostrum assiduously promoted by anti-vaccine advocates and conspiracy-mongers, is utterly useless against COVID-19.

Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2022 Alas, Goop's success is yet another example of how hawking misinformation, pseudoscience, and nostrum to the disaffected is extremely lucrative.

Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 2 Feb. 2022 Or that most ancient medicinal texts, whether Chinese, Persian, or Greek, refer to vinegar (from the French vin aigre and the Latin vinum acetum, or soured wine) as a nostrum?

Tamar Adler, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2021 Good-guy Stevie’s ambiguous love lyric is superficially in sync with Biden’s tentative nostrum.

Armond White, National Review, 25 Nov. 2020 See More

单词	nostrums
释义	nostrum noun nos·trum ˈnä-strəm 1 : a medicine of secret composition recommended by its preparer but usually without scientific proof of its effectiveness … is put to work at county fairs, promoting a quack nostrum for pain relief. Patrick McGrath 2 : a usually questionable remedy or scheme : panacea an audience eager to believe he had found the nostrum for all of society's ills Warren Sloat Did you know? "Whether there was real efficacy in these nostrums, and whether their author himself had faith in them, is more than can safely be said," wrote 19th-century American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, "but, at all events, the public believed in them." The word nostrum has often been linked to quack medicine and false hopes for miracle cures, but there's nothing deceitful about its etymology. It has been a part of English since at least the early 17th century, and it comes from the Latin noster, meaning "our" or "ours." Some think that specially prepared medicinal concoctions came to be called nostrums because their purveyors marketed them as "our own" remedy. In other words, the use of nostrum emphasized that such a potion was unique or exclusive to the pitchman peddling it. Synonyms catholicon cure-all elixir panacea theriac See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences politicians repeating all the usual nostrums about the economy using garlic as a nostrum to prevent disease Recent Examples on the Web This episode of What’s Ahead lays out why Schumer’s nostrum is the economic equivalent of doctors who centuries ago thought bleeding patients was a great cure for all sorts of ailments. Steve Forbes, Forbes, 3 May 2022 Musk himself has been a purveyor of damaging misinformation and disinformation on Twitter — promoting the useless anti-COVID nostrum hydroxychloroquine as well as economically dubious cryptocurrencies, for example. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2022 The old nostrum that France is ungovernable may be tested again. New York Times, 23 Apr. 2022 The alternative-energy nostrum is make-believe, as are the other administration excuses for the sharp increase in gasoline prices. Benjamin Zycher, National Review, 17 Mar. 2022 Ivermectin, that nostrum assiduously promoted by anti-vaccine advocates and conspiracy-mongers, is utterly useless against COVID-19. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2022 Alas, Goop's success is yet another example of how hawking misinformation, pseudoscience, and nostrum to the disaffected is extremely lucrative. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 2 Feb. 2022 Or that most ancient medicinal texts, whether Chinese, Persian, or Greek, refer to vinegar (from the French vin aigre and the Latin vinum acetum, or soured wine) as a nostrum? Tamar Adler, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2021 Good-guy Stevie’s ambiguous love lyric is superficially in sync with Biden’s tentative nostrum. Armond White, National Review, 25 Nov. 2020 See More Word History Etymology Latin, neuter of noster our, ours, from nos we — more at us First Known Use 1602, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Phrases Containing nostrum mare nostrum mare nostrum Medical Definition nostrum noun nos·trum ˈnäs-trəm : a medicine of secret composition recommended by its preparer but usually without scientific proof of its effectiveness nostrums noun plural of nostrum as in panaceas something that cures all ills or problems a quack nostrum for cancer of all types Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance panaceas elixirs cure-alls remedies cures theriacs catholicons silver bullets magic bullets correctives miracle drugs wonder drugs
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nostrum

noun

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing nostrum

Medical Definition

noun

noun