What does "tincture" mean?
Senses relating to colour, and to dipping something into a liquid.; A pigment or other substance that colours or dyes; specifically, a pigment used as a cosmetic.
Tincture
/ˈtɪŋ(k)tʃə/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Senses relating to colour, and to dipping something into a liquid.; A pigment or other substance that colours or dyes; specifically, a pigment used as a cosmetic.
- Grammar: tincture is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: tint, achievement, achromatism, alcoholic extract.
- Useful contrasts: colorlessness, dry extract, pill.
- Usage evidence: I dwell the longer upon this Subject from the Desire I have to make the Society of an English Yahoo by any Means not insupportable; and therefore I intreat those who have any Tincture of this absurd Vice, that they will not presume to appear in my Sight.
How to use "tincture"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tincture" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tincture" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tincture" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
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Check whether "tincture" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 Senses relating to colour, and to dipping something into a liquid.; A pigment or other substance that colours or dyes; specifically, a pigment used as a cosmetic. obsolete
"[O]ur daintie dames and fine ladies have begun to ſet their mind upon this colour [amber], and have placed it in the third ranke of rich tincture: vvhereby vve may ſee there is no ſuperfluitie and diſorder in the vvorld, but it hath a pretence and cloake of ſome precious name or other."
- 2 (pharmacology) a medicine consisting of an extract in an alcohol solution wordnet
- 3 Senses relating to colour, and to dipping something into a liquid.; A colour or tint, especially if produced by a pigment or something which stains; a tinge. broadly
"'Tis not a Sett of Features, or Complexion, / The Tincture of a Skin, that I admire. / Beauty ſoon grovvs familiar to the Lover, / Fades in his Eye, and palls upon the Senſe."
- 4 a quality of a given color that differs slightly from another color wordnet
- 5 Senses relating to colour, and to dipping something into a liquid.; A slight addition of a thing to something else; a shade, a touch, a trace. broadly, figuratively
"[A]fter the firſt comming of Hengiſt they had liued here C.L. yeers by the cõmon account vvithout tincture of true religion: […]"
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 an indication that something has been present wordnet
- 7 Senses relating to colour, and to dipping something into a liquid.; A hue or pattern used in the depiction of a coat of arms. broadly
- 8 a substance that colors or dyes wordnet
- 9 Senses relating to colour, and to dipping something into a liquid.; The act of colouring or dyeing. obsolete
"This ſtone [“cyanos” or chrysoprase] is very apt to bee counterfeited, and eſpecially by tincture: the invention vvhereof is aſcribed to a king of Ægypt, vvho vvas highly honoured for beeing the firſt that gave a colour to it."
- 10 Senses relating to colour, and to dipping something into a liquid.; A slight physical quality other than colour (especially taste), or an abstract quality, added to something; a tinge. figuratively, obsolete
"a tincture of orange peel"
- 11 Senses relating to colour, and to dipping something into a liquid.; A small flaw; a blemish, a stain. figuratively, obsolete
"To offend againſt ſo gracious a Patron, vvould add a Tincture to our Diſobedience; yet ſuch is the Iniquity of our Condition, that vve are forced to defer our Gratitude."
- 12 Senses relating to colour, and to dipping something into a liquid.; Synonym of baptism. obsolete
"Rollo ſonne of a Daniſh Potentate, […] made tranſmigration into France, and there, after ſome martiall diſcords, honored in holy tincture of Chriſtianity vvith the name of Robert, […]"
- 13 Scientific and alchemical senses.; A medicine consisting of one or more substances dissolved in ethanol or some other solvent.
"tincture of iodine; tincture of cannabis; tincture of opium"
- 14 Scientific and alchemical senses.; A (small) alcoholic drink. broadly, humorous
"Weathers made them all have just one little tincture at his expense and promised to meet them later on at Mulligan's in Poolbeg Street."
- 15 Scientific and alchemical senses.; An immaterial substance or spiritual principle which was thought capable of being instilled into physical things; also, the essence or spirit of something.
"For vvhat is ſilke but eu'n a Quinteſſence, / Made vvithout hands beyond al humane ſenſe? / A quinteſſence? nay vvel it may be call'd, / A deathleſſe tincture, ſent vs from the skies, / VVhoſe colour ſtands, vvhose gloſſe is ne're appalld, […]"
- 16 Scientific and alchemical senses.; A material essence thought to be capable of extraction from a substance.
"[T]he pureſt part [of the sap], as moſt apt and ready, recedes, vvith its due Tinctures, from the ſaid Cortical Body, to the Lignous. VVhich Lignous Body likevviſe ſuper-inducing its ovvn proper Tinctures into the ſaid Sap; […]"
- 17 Scientific and alchemical senses.; The part of a substance thought to be essential, finer, and/or more volatile, which could be extracted in a solution; also, the process of obtaining this.
"[C]ome forth, / And taſt the ayre of Palaces, eate, drinke / The toyles of Empricks, and their boaſted practiſe: / Tincture of Pearle, an Corall, Gold, and Amber; […]"
Verb
- 1 To colour or stain (something) with, or as if with, a dye or pigment. transitive
"[T]hey are rich habilimented, their heads rounded vvith a golden caule: their cheekes tinctured vvith Vermillion, their noſes and eares hung vvith Ievvels of price and bigneſſe, and about their faces (tied to the chin) a rope of orient pearle of exceeding value, if not counterfeit: […]"
- 2 stain or tinge with a slight amount of a color wordnet
- 3 Followed by with: to add to or impregnate (something) with (a slight amount of) an abstract or (obsolete) physical quality; to imbue, to taint, to tinge. figuratively, transitive
"Of fulgent beautie; but ſo pure a mind, / As if tinctur'd from Heaven, and ſo devin'd."
- 4 fill, as with a certain quality wordnet
- 5 To dissolve (a substance) in ethanol or some other solvent to produce a medicinal tincture. transitive
"Fill a glass jar full of plant matter, leaving an inch of space. (I prefer to tincture each herb separately and mix combinations as I need them.) Completely cover plants with 100-proof vodka, brandy, or vinegar and secure the lid tightly."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To have a taint or tinge of some quality. intransitive, rare
"The portrait of the Author, prefixed, is engraved from a drawing by another of his friends, done from memory; it is like, but a likeneſs that tinctures of the prejudice of friendſhip."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"I dwell the longer upon this Subject from the Desire I have to make the Society of an English Yahoo by any Means not insupportable; and therefore I intreat those who have any Tincture of this absurd Vice, that they will not presume to appear in my Sight."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tincture"?
Common synonyms include: tint, achievement, achromatism, alcoholic extract, alerion, animal charge.
How do you use "tincture" in a sentence?
I dwell the longer upon this Subject from the Desire I have to make the Society of an English Yahoo by any Means not insupportable; and therefore I intreat those who have any Tincture of this absurd Vice, that they will not presume to appear in my Sight.
How do you pronounce "tincture"?
Pronounced /ˈtɪŋ(k)tʃə/.
Etymology
The noun is derived from Late Middle English tincture (“a dye, pigment; a colour, hue, tint; process of colouring or dyeing; medicinal ointment or salve (perhaps one discolouring the skin); use of a medicinal tincture; (alchemy) transmutation of base metals into gold; ability to cause such transmutation; substance supposed to cause such transmutation”) [and other forms], borrowed from Latin tīnctūra (“act of dyeing”) + Middle English -ure (suffix indicating an action or a process and the means or result of that action or process). Tīnctūra is derived from tīnctus (“coloured, tinged; dipped in; impregnated with; treated”) + -tūra (suffix forming action nouns expressing activities or results); while tīnctus is the perfect passive participle of tingō (“to colour, dye, tinge; to dip (in), immerse; to impregnate (with); to moisten, wet; to smear”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to dip; to soak”). Doublet of tainture, teinture, and tinctura. The verb is derived from the noun.