ouabain

English

Etymology

From ouaba(io) +‎ -in, after French ouabain.

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, p. 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.
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