Nos"trum (-trŭm), n.; pl. Nostrums (-trŭmz). [Neut. sing. of L. noster ours, fr. nos we. See Us.]

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.

2. Any scheme or device proposed by a quack.

The incentives of agitators, the arts of impostors and the nostrums of quacks.

• a medicine that hasn't been proven to have an effect
  
• a favorite untested remedy
  
• a patent medicine