kuru
a fatal degenerative disease of the central nervous system characterized by progressive lack of coordination and dementia, known only among certain Melanesian peoples, especially the Fore of New Guinea, and caused by a slow virus: now virtually extinct.
Origin of kuru
1Words Nearby kuru
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use kuru in a sentence
kuru—an exceedingly rare condition, kuru occurred at epidemic proportions among the Fore people of New Guinea in the 1950s.
Necrotizing Fasciitis, Blinding Larvae & More Scary Diseases | Casey Schwartz | May 18, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTKarna clasped the kuru's princes, parted from them one and all, With his bow and ample quiver proudly stepped the warrior tall.
Maha-bharata | AnonymousNoble is the boon thou seekest,” answered kuru's prince of fame, “Be a joy unto your comrades, let the foeman dread thy name!
Maha-bharata | AnonymousDrona priest and great preceptor, saintly Kripa true and brave, kuru's monarch Dhrita-rashtra, may the gods thy empire save!
Maha-bharata | Anonymouskuru maids for fair Draupadi fortune's fitful will upbraid, And their tear-dewed lotus-faces with their streaming fingers shade!
Maha-bharata | Anonymous
Seek we out the kuru monarch, proud Duryodhan let us meet, If he falls we win the battle, other chieftains will retreat.
Maha-bharata | Anonymous
British Dictionary definitions for kuru
/ (ˈkʊruː) /
a degenerative disease of the nervous system, restricted to certain tribes in New Guinea, marked by loss of muscular control and thought to be caused by a slow virus
Origin of kuru
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for kuru
[ kur′ōō ]
A rare, progressive, degenerative neurological disease found in certain peoples of New Guinea and associated with cannibalism. It is thought to be caused by a prion and results in a fatal encephalopathy. See Note at prion.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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