TUBOCURARINE

[tu.bo.cu.ra.rine] n [ISV tubo- (fr. L tubus tube) + curare + -ine; fr. its being shipped in sections of hollow bamboo] (1898): a toxic alkaloid or its crystalline hydrated hydrochloride salt that is obtained chiefly from the bark and stems of a So. American vine (Chondrodendron tomentosum of the family Menispermaceae) and in its dextrorotatory form constitutes the chief active constituent of curare and is used esp. as a skeletal muscle relaxant