noun
curare
kyuu-RAH-ree
noun
1
A toxic plant extract traditionally used by South American peoples to poison arrows and darts.
"Hunters coated their darts with curare to paralyze prey quickly."
2
A purified form of this toxin once used medically as a muscle relaxant during surgery.
"Curare derivatives were once used by anesthesiologists to relax muscles during operations."
How to Use Curare
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA powerful plant-based poison that paralyzes muscles, historically used on hunting arrows and later adapted for surgery.
Word Forms
curares plural
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Hunters coated their darts with _____ to paralyze prey quickly.
Etymology
Borrowed from a Cariban language of South America, where similar words referred to poisonous vines used to tip arrows.