noun
a medicine that is protected by a patent and is typically sold over the counter without a prescription
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The use of patent medicines declined with the advent of stricter regulations on their ingredients.
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My grandma swears by those old patent medicines for curing any ailment.
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I don't trust those patent medicines, they seem too sketchy to be effective.
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His promises of a quick fix were like a patent medicine for the soul, offering temporary relief but no real solution.