n.
Variant: also cu · ra · ri
Pronunciation: kyu ̇ - ' rär- ē , ku ̇ -
Function: noun
Etymology: Portuguese & Spanish curare, from Carib kurari
Date: 1777
: a dried aqueous extract especially of a vine (as Strychnos toxifera of the family Loganiaceae or Chondodendron tomentosum of the family Menispermaceae) used by So. American Indians to poison arrow tips and in medicine to produce muscular relaxation