patent medicine
noun
: a nonprescription medicinal preparation that is typically protected by a trademark and whose contents are incompletely disclosed
also
: any drug that is a proprietary
Note: Patent medicine is often used to refer to a product (such as an elixir, tonic, or liniment) that was marketed as a medicine in the U.S. during the 1800s and early 1900s but was typically of unproven effectiveness and questionable safety.
Examples of patent medicine in a Sentence
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In reality, Kang explains, many patent medicines contained drugs like cocaine, morphine or alcohol, giving the illusion of an immediate soothing effect.
—
Jordan Friedman, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Oct. 2024
By the end of the century, lithia water (water with a trace amount of lithium) was marketed as a patent medicine.
—Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2024
Sales of purgatives, tonics, syrups and patent medicines like Carter’s Little Liver Pills went through the roof as ordinary people were encouraged to closely monitor the frequency and quality of their bowel movements.
—Elsa Richardson, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024
In addition, companies and drugstores exploited loopholes by creating and selling patent medicines with high alcohol content.
—David Reamer | Alaska History, Anchorage Daily News, 23 July 2023
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Jordan Friedman, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Oct. 2024
By the end of the century, lithia water (water with a trace amount of lithium) was marketed as a patent medicine.
—Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2024
Sales of purgatives, tonics, syrups and patent medicines like Carter’s Little Liver Pills went through the roof as ordinary people were encouraged to closely monitor the frequency and quality of their bowel movements.
—Elsa Richardson, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024
In addition, companies and drugstores exploited loopholes by creating and selling patent medicines with high alcohol content.
—David Reamer | Alaska History, Anchorage Daily News, 23 July 2023
See all Example Sentences for patent medicine
Dictionary Entries Near patent medicine
Cite this Entry
“Patent medicine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patent%20medicine. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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