ouabain

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English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Etymology

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From ouaba(io) +‎ -in, after French ouabain, ultimately from Somali waabaayo, meaning "arrow poison".

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈwɑːbeɪn/, /ˈuːəbeɪn/

Noun

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ouabain (countable and uncountable, plural ouabains)

  1. A poisonous cardiac glycoside, g-strophanthin, found in the seeds of certain lianas. [from 19th c.]
    • 1985, Wade Davis, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Simon & Schuster, page 113:
      In moderate dosage ouabain is used today to treat emergency heart failure; in excessive doses it makes the heart go crazy, pumping wildly until it collapses.

Translations

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