\Tinc"ture\, n. [L. tinctura a dyeing, from tingere,
tinctum, to tinge, dye: cf. OE. tainture, teinture, F.
teinture, L. tinctura. See {Tinge}.]
1. A tinge or shade of color; a tint; as, a tincture of red.
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.

\Tinc"ture\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Tinctured}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Tincturing}.]
1. To communicate a slight foreign color to; to tinge; to
   impregnate with some extraneous matter.
         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.