ouabain

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɑːbeɪn/, /ˈuːəbeɪn/

Noun

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

Translations

• Italian: uabaina (it) f