cinchona
noun
cin·cho·na
| \ siŋ-ˈkō-nə
, sin-ˈchō-
\
, sin-ˈchō-
\
Definition of cinchona
1
: any of a genus (Cinchona) of South American trees and shrubs of the madder family
2
: the dried bark of a cinchona (such as C. ledgeriana) containing alkaloids (such as quinine) and formerly used as a specific in malaria
Examples of cinchona in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
North and South Kivu are home to the largest cinchona forests in the world. — The Economist, "Eastern Congo has the world’s largest quinine plantations," 8 June 2019 Indian traders have begun buying cinchona bark and shipping it to Delhi, where the cost of processing is lower. — The Economist, "Eastern Congo has the world’s largest quinine plantations," 8 June 2019 Homer talks about it in his masterpieces, and there was once the problem of fake cinchona bark. — Angela Chen, The Verge, "How fake drugs can make you sicker — even if you never take them," 24 May 2018 At the time, according to Forbes, quinine was accessible only by extracting it from a cinchona tree. — Katherine Eisenbrand, PEOPLE.com, "Who Was Google Doodle Subject William Henry Perkin? All About His Colorful Discovery," 12 Mar. 2018 Interpretive signs point visitors to more than 50 plants that heal, such as the cinchona tree. — Erin Blakemore, Washington Post, "Tropical plants help heal, in chemotherapy, decongestants and more," 17 Feb. 2018 This time the 30-year-old Tremayne is on assignment for the India Office, which has replaced the East India Company, and his aim is to travel to the Peruvian highlands to filch cinchona cuttings. — Sara Wheeler, New York Times, "A 19th-Century Smuggler in the Peruvian Andes," 15 Sep. 2017 The previous cinchona seekers to set out for the Caravaya forest had perished. — Sara Wheeler, New York Times, "A 19th-Century Smuggler in the Peruvian Andes," 15 Sep. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cinchona.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for cinchona
cinchona
noun
cin·cho·na
| \ siŋ-ˈkō-nə
\
\
Kids Definition of cinchona
: a South American tree whose bark yields quinine
cinchona
noun
cin·cho·na
| \ siŋ-ˈkō-nə
, sin-ˈchō-
\
, sin-ˈchō-
\
Medical Definition of cinchona
1
capitalized
: a large genus of South American trees and shrubs of the madder family
2
: a tree of the genus Cinchona
3
: the dried bark of any of several trees of the genus Cinchona (especially C. ledgeriana and C. succirubra or their hybrids) containing alkaloids (as quinine, cinchonine, quinidine, and cinchonidine) and being used especially formerly as a specific in malaria, an antipyretic in other fevers, and a tonic and stomachic
— called also cinchona bark, Jesuits' bark, Peruvian bark
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