tisane means A medicinal drink, originally made from barley soaked in water. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 91 out of 100.
tisane is pronounced /tɪˈzæn/.
Why “tisane” is a great word
TISANE — [Noun] A medicinal or restorative infusion, historically a decoction of barley, now broadly a drink made from steeping herbs, flowers, or other plant material. From Anglo-Norman tysanne, Middle French tisane, from Latin tisana, a variant of ptisana, from Ancient Greek πτισάνη (ptisánē, "peeled barley, barley gruel"), from πτίσσειν (ptíssein, "to peel, to crush"). Borrowed into English from French around 1930–35. Unlike "tea," which denotes a beverage from the cured leaves of Camellia sinensis, or the archaic "ptisan" (a specific barley-water), tisane is the modern, gracious term for a caffeineless botanical brew. It is the quiet steam of chamomile at midnight, the peppery amber of turmeric root steeping, the faintly medicinal scent of elderflower—a warm, fragrant liquid that offers not stimulation, but the slow, patient comfort of the earth.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman tysanne, Middle French ptisane, tisane (“barley water, medicinal drink”), and their source, Latin tisana, variant of ptisana, from Ancient Greek πτισάνη (ptisánē, “peeled barley, barley gruel”), from πτίσσειν (ptíssein, “to peel, to crush”).
noun
- A medicinal drink, originally made from barley soaked in water.“Ptisan. A diluent drink which makes a great figure in the dietetic precepts of the ancients.”