2. (Her.) One of the metals, colors, or furs used in armory.
Note: There are two metals: gold, called or, and represented
in engraving by a white surface covered with small
dots; and silver, called argent, and represented by a
plain white surface. The colors and their
representations are as follows: red, called gules, or a
shading of vertical lines; blue, called azure, or
horizontal lines; black, called sable, or horizontal
and vertical lines crossing; green, called vert, or
diagonal lines from dexter chief corner; purple, called
purpure, or diagonal lines from sinister chief corner.
The furs are ermine, ermines, erminois, pean, vair,
counter vair, potent, and counter potent. See
Illustration in Appendix.
3. The finer and more volatile parts of a substance,
separated by a solvent; an extract of a part of the
substance of a body communicated to the solvent.
4. (Med.) A solution (commonly colored) of medicinal
substance in alcohol, usually more or less diluted; spirit
containing medicinal substances in solution.
Note: According to the United States Pharmacop[oe]ia, the
term tincture (also called alcoholic tincture, and
spirituous tincture) is reserved for the alcoholic
solutions of nonvolatile substances, alcoholic
solutions of volatile substances being called spirits.
{Ethereal tincture}, a solution of medicinal substance in
ether.
5. A slight taste superadded to any substance; as, a tincture
of orange peel.
6. A slight quality added to anything; a tinge; as, a
tincture of French manners.
All manners take a tincture from our own. --Pope.
Every man had a slight tincture of soldiership, and
scarcely any man more than a slight tincture.
--Macaulay.
A little black paint will tincture and spoil twenty
gay colors. --I. Watts.
2. To imbue the mind of; to communicate a portion of anything
foreign to; to tinge.
The stain of habitual sin may thoroughly tincture
all our soul. --Barrow.