French word

curare

Pronunciation

IPA/kyʁaʁ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounarrow poison

Example

Les Indiens utilisaient du curare pour leurs flèches.

Indigenous people used arrow poison for their arrows.

Illustration for curare (arrow poison)

More examples

J'ai lu un article sur le curare.

I read an article about curare.

Core concept

An arrow poison whose muscle-paralyzing action also defines a medical class of neuromuscular-blocking drugs.

Similar words

poison: A harmful substance that can damage the body.
médicament: A substance used to relieve symptoms or treat illness.

Definition in French

Toxique végétal provoquant la paralysie des muscles, historiquement employé pour enduire des flèches; le mot est aussi utilisé pour désigner des médicaments bloquant la jonction neuromusculaire.

Word origin

The word curare originally named an arrow poison in South America and entered French through forms used in Spanish and Portuguese.

Usage tips

  • French pronounces curare roughly as /ky.raʁ/, with the final e silent but the final r pronounced.

Other meanings

  • muscle relaxantnoun

Opposites

  • antidoteantidotenoun

Word lists with this word