quinine

Meanings

Noun

• An alkaloid with the chemical formula C₂₀H₂₄N₂O₂ derived from cinchona bark (from plants of the genus Cinchona) used to treat malaria and as an ingredient of tonic water, which presents as a bitter colourless powder; also, a drug containing quinine or a chemical compound derived from it.

Verb

• To treat (someone) with quinine.

Origin

• The noun is either:
• ;; or
• Spanish quinaquina and French quinquina are both derived from Quechua kina-kina, a reduplication of kina.
• The verb is derived from the noun.