1. Plural of cinchonine; alkaloid compounds derived from cinchona bark, used historically in medicine and as antimalarial agents.
Usage: technical; chemistry/pharmacology; often used in plural form

Examples

• Cinchonines were among the first alkaloids isolated from cinchona bark in the 19th century.
• The antimalarial properties of cinchonines made them valuable in tropical medicine.
• Researchers studied the chemical structure of cinchonines to develop synthetic alternatives.
• Cinchonines and quinine are both alkaloids found in the cinchona tree.