[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

nostrum \nos"trum\ -tru^m, n.; pl. nostrums -tru^mz.
   neut. sing. of l. noster ours, fr. nos we. see us.
   1913 webster
   1. a medicine, the ingredients of which are kept secret for
      the purpose of restricting the profits of sale to the
      inventor or proprietor; a quack medicine.
      1913 webster

   2. any scheme or device proposed by a quack.
      1913 webster

            the incentives of agitators, the arts of impostors
            and the nostrums of quacks.           --brougham.
      1913 webster

   3. any scheme asserted to solve a problem, but with no
      objective basis for belief in its effectiveness; esp., in
      politics, a scheme or proposal likely to prove popular
      with voters.
      pjc
see also:
nostrums us 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

nostrum
     n 1: hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases; once sought by
          the alchemists syn: panacea, cure-all
     2: patent medicine whose efficacy is questionable
see also:
panacea cure-all 

Nostrum >> N Words
Nostrum, definition of term: Nostrum
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