/ kjʊə(r); NAmE kjʊr/ verb , noun
■ verb [ vn ]
1.
cure sb (of sth) to make a person or an animal healthy again after an illness :
Will you be able to cure him, Doctor?
2.
to make an illness go away :
TB is a serious illness, but it can be cured.
3.
to deal with a problem successfully :
I finally managed to cure the rattling noise in my car.
4.
cure sb of sth to stop sb from behaving in a particular way, especially a way that is bad or annoying
5.
to treat food or tobacco with smoke, salt, etc. in order to preserve it
•
IDIOMS
see kill verb
■ noun
1.
cure (for sth) a medicine or medical treatment that cures an illness :
the search for a cure for cancer
There is no known cure but the illness can be treated.
2.
the act of curing sb of an illness or the process of being cured :
Doctors cannot effect a cure if the disease has spread too far.
The cure took six weeks.
3.
cure (for sth) something that will solve a problem, improve a bad situation, etc. :
a cure for poverty
•
IDIOMS
see prevention
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (as a noun): from Old French curer (verb), cure (noun), both from Latin curare take care of, from cura care. The original noun senses were care, concern, responsibility , in particular spiritual care. In late Middle English the senses medical care and successful medical treatment arose, and hence remedy .