Of, relating to, or derived from cinchona; specifically describing compounds or acids formed from cinchona alkaloids.
From cinchona + -ic (adjectival suffix), a standard way to create adjectives from the names of plants, elements, or substances. Common in chemical and medical terminology since the 18th century.
The -ic ending appears everywhere in science—sulfuric acid, acetic acid, alcoholic drinks—so 'cinchonic' immediately tells a chemist 'this is the adjectival form of cinchona, probably relating to cinchonic acid or cinchonic compounds.'
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.