Nostrum \NOS-truhm\ , noun;
1. A medicine of secret composition and unproven or dubious effectiveness; a quack medicine
2. A usually questionable remedy or scheme; a cure-all
This word, with the meaning "quack medicine," dates to the 1600's and comes from Latin nostrum remedium or "our remedy." Nostrum is the neuter of noster ("our") from nos ("we") which derives from Proto-Indo-European *nos.
Today's word and the first definition were both taken from Dictionary.com's 'Word of the Day' for Sunday, January 2
Etymologies come from the Oxford English Dictionary and/or Etymonline.com
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