English Explanatory Dictionary

kuru

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A chronic, progressive, fatal central nervous system disease found mainly among the Fore and neighboring peoples of New Guinea, caused by a prion that probably resembles the scrapie agent of sheep, transmissible to nonhuman primates, and believed to be transmitted by ritual cannibalism.
name
  1. an ancient kingdom, mentioned in the Mahabharata.

Pronunciation

/ˈkʉː.ɹʉː/ /ˈkʊ.ɹuː/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-kuru.wav

Word forms

kuru

Etymology

From Fore kúru (literally “trembling, shivering”). Perhaps eventually from Proto-Gorokan *kút(V) (“dangling, shaking”) if cognate with the reduplicated element of Yagaria gúli gúli hu- (“be loose, rattle”).

Synonyms

laughing death laughing sickness Kuru disease
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