curare

or cu·ra·ri

[ kyoo-rahr-ee, koo- ]

/ kyʊˈrɑr i, kʊ- /

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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.

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Origin of curare

1770–80; <Portuguese <Carib kurari

Words nearby curare

Cur. adv. vult, curagh, curandera, curanderismo, curandero, curare, curarine, curarize, curassow, curate, curated

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use curare in a sentence

A yellowish liquid soon commenced to filter and drip into the pan, and this liquid was the curare, the arrow poison.
Popular Adventure Tales|Mayne Reid
The “curare” does not kill the nerves, for the frog still suffers under the dissecting knife.
German Problems and Personalities|Charles Sarolea
Curemus quam uterque partem; tu alterum, ego alterum; nam ambos curare propemodum reposcere illum est quem dedisti.
Dderlein's Hand-book of Latin Synonymes|Ludwig Dderlein
Is this perchance the same curare that is discussed by Father Gumilla in his Orinoco ilustrado?
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898|Various

Curare is an Indian arrow poison which absolutely prevents all muscular movement.
Makers of Modern Medicine|James J. Walsh

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

Scientific 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.