Nostrum

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈnɒs.tɹəm/

Definitions

1. A purported cure that lacks real effectiveness or scientific support ; a medicinal preparation or tonic often sold with exaggerated claims of benefit
2. An alleged remedy that is generally considered unproven or deceptive ; a health treatment or potion marketed without reliable evidence
3. A supposed cure often regarded as useless or fraudulent ; a type of medicine promoted with doubtful therapeutic value

Etymology: Latin "noster" means "our," and its neuter form "nostrum" means "our thing" or, in effect, "our own remedy." That sense is the heart of the word. Latin "nostrum" was the name for a preparation a practitioner made and sold under his own name, something that belonged to him rather than to the established medical tradition, and English borrowed the word from Latin with that proprietary flavour intact. Over time the word's meaning soured. A remedy described as "ours" was, by implication, one that the official physicians did not recognise or endorse, so "nostrum" came to suggest a cure peddled on the strength of its maker's claims rather than on evidence. Today it means an unproven medical cure, and the Latin pride of ownership has become a quiet warning sign about whoever is selling it.

Synonyms: remedy, cure-all, solution