nostrum
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Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈnɒs.tɹəm/ (UK); /ˈnɑ.stɹəm/ (US)[1]
Etymology
It is borrowed from Latin nostrum (“our, ours”), the neuter of noster “our”,[2][3][4][5][6] from nōs “we”,[3][4][5] presumably from a phrase such as nostrum remedium “our remedy”,[2][3][4] as the seller called it.[6]
Earliest recorded meaning
A medicine prepared by the person recommending it, especially a quack remedy (1602).[7][3][5]
Semantic evolution
The name implied that the medicine was the seller's own secret preparation.[4][3][6] From 1749 it was extended to a pet scheme or favourite remedy for social or political ills.[7][3][4]
Timeline
- 1602 – a quack medicine.[7][3][5]
- 1706 – nostrum-monger.[7]
- 1749 – a pet scheme or favourite remedy.[7][3][4]
Modern meaning
Noun
- A medicine of secret composition whose effectiveness is unproven; a quack remedy.
- A favourite but questionable remedy or scheme for some problem; a panacea.
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
- ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
- ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
- ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press