curare

or cu·ra·ri

[ kyoo-rahr-ee, koo- ]

/ kyʊˈrɑr i, kʊ- /

noun

a blackish, resinlike substance derived from tropical plants of the genus Strychnos, especially S. toxifera, and from the root of pareira, used by certain South American Indians for poisoning arrows and employed in physiological experiments, medicine, etc., for arresting the action of motor nerves.

a plant yielding this substance.

Nearby words

curacy, curagh, curandera, curanderismo, curandero, curare, curariform, curarine, curarize, curassow, curate

Origin of curare

1770–80; < Portuguese < Carib kurari

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for curare

Quid autem est stultius quam, quod libenter facias, curare, ut id diutius facere non possis?
De Officiis|Marcus Tullius Cicero
Curare is a poison which the natives on the banks of the Amazon prepare from a bind-weed of the strychnia family.
The Pros and Cons of Vivisection|Charles Richet
To Claude Bernard we owe the use of curare in physiological experimentation.
Makers of Modern Medicine|James J. Walsh
Some opponents of experiments on animals seem to think that curare is used very often.
Experiments on Animals|Stephen Paget

This curare not only destroys the power of motion, but increases the sensitiveness of the nerves.
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 8 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll

British Dictionary definitions for curare

curare

curari

/ (kjʊˈrɑːrɪ) /

noun

black resin obtained from certain tropical South American trees, esp Chondrodendron tomentosum, acting on the motor nerves to cause muscular paralysis: used medicinally as a muscle relaxant and by South American Indians as an arrow poison

any of various trees of the genera Chondrodendron (family Menispermaceae) and Strychnos (family Loganiaceae) from which this resin is obtained

Word Origin for curare

C18: from Portuguese and Spanish, from Carib kurari

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for curare

curare

1777, from Portuguese or Spanish curare, a corruption of the name in the Carib language of the Macusi Indians of Guyana, wurali or wurari, which had a sort of click sound at the beginning, and is said to mean "he to whom it comes falls."

Medicine definitions for curare

curare

n.

An extract obtained from several tropical American woody plants, especially Chondrodendron tomentosum, used as an arrow poison by some Indian peoples of South America.

A purified preparation or alkaloid obtained from Chondrodendron tomentosum, used to relax skeletal muscles.

Science definitions for curare

curare

[ ku-rä′rē, kyu- ]

A dark, resinous extract obtained from several tropical American woody plants, especially Chondrodendron tomentosum or certain species of Strychnos, used as an arrow poison by some Indian peoples of South America.

A purified preparation of an alkaloid obtained from Chondrodendron tomentosum, used in medicine and surgery to relax skeletal muscles.