ouabain

[wah-bah-in]

noun

Pharmacology.

1. a glycoside occurring as a white, crystalline powder, C 2 9 H 4 4 O 1 2 , obtained from the seeds of a shrub, Strophanthus gratus, or from the wood of trees of the genus Acokanthera, and used in medicine chiefly as a cardiac stimulant.

ouabain

/ ˈwɑːbɑːɪn /

noun

1. a poisonous white crystalline glycoside extracted from certain trees and used as a heart stimulant and, by some African tribes, on poison darts. Formula: C 29 H 44 O 12 .8H 2 O

Word History and Origins

Origin of ouabain¹

1890–95; < French ouaba ( ïo ) (< Somali waabayyo arrow poison) + -in ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of ouabain¹

C19: from French ouabaïo, from Somali waba yo native name of tree

Example Sentences

His team then transplanted ONPs into the ears of gerbils that had been treated with ouabain, a chemical that damages auditory nerves, but not hair cells.

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That's probably because it's costly: Crested rat ancestors had to evolve not only hefty skin, which isn't easy to lug around, but also an immunity to ouabain.

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That bark carries large amounts of ouabain, a chemical that overstimulates heart muscle, similar to the poison curare, commonly obtained from South American plants.

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Associated words: barb, ouabain, sagittal, sagittary, quiver, sheaf, belomancy. arrowhead, n.

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