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cu·ra·re also cu·ra·ri

(k-rärē, ky-)

1. 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. Any of several purified preparations of such an extract, used formerly as a drug to relax skeletal muscles during anesthesia.

b. The drug tubocurarine.

3. Any of the plants that yield curare.

[Portuguese or Spanish curaré, both of Cariban and Tupian origin.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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