TUBOCURARINE

noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary tubo- (from Latin tubus tube) + curare + -ine; from its being shipped in sections of hollow bamboo Date: 1898 a toxic alkaloid or its crystalline hydrochloride salt C 37 H 42 Cl 2 N 2 O 6 that is obtained chiefly from the bark and stems of a South American vine ( Chondrodendron tomentosum of the family Menispermaceae) and in its dextrorotatory form constitutes the chief active constituent of curare and is used especially as a skeletal muscle relaxant