n. [ F. décoction, L. decoctio. ] 1. The act or process of boiling anything in a watery fluid to extract its virtues. [ 1913 Webster ]

In decoction . . . it either purgeth at the top or settleth at the bottom. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An extract got from a body by boiling it in water. [ 1913 Webster ]

If the plant be boiled in water, the strained liquor is called the decoction of the plant. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

In pharmacy decoction is opposed to infusion, where there is merely steeping. Latham. [ 1913 Webster ]