tincture

n. [ L. tinctura a dyeing, from tingere, tinctum, to tinge, dye: cf. OE. tainture, teinture, F. teinture, L. tinctura. See Tinge. ] 1. A tinge or shade of color; a tint; as, a tincture of red. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Her.) One of the metals, colors, or furs used in armory. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ There are two metals: gold, called or, and represented in engraving by a white surface covered with small dots; and silver, called argent, and represented by a plain white surface. The colors and their representations are as follows: red, called gules, or a shading of vertical lines; blue, called azure, or horizontal lines; black, called sable, or horizontal and vertical lines crossing; green, called vert, or diagonal lines from dexter chief corner; purple, called purpure, or diagonal lines from sinister chief corner. The furs are ermine, ermines, erminois, pean, vair, counter vair, potent, and counter potent. See Illustration in Appendix. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The finer and more volatile parts of a substance, separated by a solvent; an extract of a part of the substance of a body communicated to the solvent. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Med.) A solution (commonly colored) of medicinal substance in alcohol, usually more or less diluted; spirit containing medicinal substances in solution. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ According to the United States Pharmacopoeia, the term tincture (also called alcoholic tincture, and spirituous tincture) is reserved for the alcoholic solutions of nonvolatile substances, alcoholic solutions of volatile substances being called spirits. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ethereal tincture, a solution of medicinal substance in ether. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A slight taste superadded to any substance; as, a tincture of orange peel. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A slight quality added to anything; a tinge; as, a tincture of French manners. [ 1913 Webster ]

All manners take a tincture from our own. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

Every man had a slight tincture of soldiership, and scarcely any man more than a slight tincture. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]