Tisane

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /tɪˈzan/
• US IPA: /tɪˈzæn/

Alternative forms

• ptisan
• ptisane
• tisan

Origin

From Anglo-Norman tysanne, Middle French ptisane, tisane ("barley water, medicinal drink"), and their source, Latin ptisana, from Ancient Greek πτισάνη (ptisanē, "peeled barley, barley-water"), from πτίσσειν ("to peel").

Full definition of tisane

Noun

1. A medicinal drink, originally made from barley soaked in water; a herbal tea. from 14th c.
• 1831, Alexander Macaulay, A dictionary of medicine, designed for popular use, 2nd edition, page 454:Ptisan. A diluent drink which makes a great figure in the dietetic precepts of the ancients.
• 1928, Agatha Christie, The Mystery of the Blue Train:“Neither,” said Poirot, “I shall go to bed and take a tisane. The expected has happened ….”
• 1932, Duff Cooper, Talleyrand, Folio Society 2010, p. 5:The sick people would take away also some herbs for their ptisan, some wine and other comforts ….
• 1993, Will Self, My Idea of Fun:As soon as he had opened the door he worked his way back to his high-backed Queen Anne armchair, where he picked up his bone-china cup and took a sip of a rarefied tisane.

Anagrams

• seitan
• tenias