Nostrum
Pronunciation : Nos"trum n.; pl. Nostrums.
Etymology : [Neut. sing. of L. noster ours, fr. nos we. See Us.]
Definition : 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. Brougham.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913