Cinchonine
/ˌsɪŋ.kəˈnaɪn/noun
A bitter alkaloid found in cinchona bark, used historically in medicine.
Did you know?Cinchonine was named from cinchona, the South American bark that became one of Europe’s most famous fever remedies, and the plant name itself was popularized in the 17th century through a story tied to the Countess of Chinchón.
Etymological Timeline
17th Century
Spanish
quina / quina-quina
“Names used in the Andes for fever-bark, referring to the cinchona tree and its medicinal bark.”
17th Century
Latin
Cinchona
“A Latinized plant name applied to the fever-bark tree, popularized in European botany.”
1830s
English
cinchonine
“The name of a bitter alkaloid isolated from cinchona bark.”
Modern English
English
cinchonine
“A natural alkaloid obtained from cinchona bark, used in chemistry and pharmacology.”