n. [ OE. curre, kur; cf. dial. Sw. kurre dog, OD. korre watchdog, and Icel. kurra to murmur, grumble, Sw. kurra to rumble, croak, Dan. kurre to coo, whirr; prob. of imitative origin. ]
They . . . like to village curs,
Bark when their fellows do. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]
What would you have, you curs,
That like nor peace nor war? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. The state of being curable; curableness. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. [ Cf. F. curable. See Cure, v. t. ] Capable of being cured; admitting remedy. “Curable diseases.” Harvey. --
n.;
n. (Chem.) A deadly alkaloid extracted from the curare poison and from the Strychnos toxifera. It is obtained in crystalline colorless salts. [ 1913 Webster ]
v. t. To poison with curare. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. [ Native name in Brazil. ] (Zool.) A large gallinaceous bird of the American genera
☞ The crested curassow (Crax alector) is black, and about the size of a small hen-turkey, with an erectile crest of curled feathers. It ranges from Mexico to Brazil. The galeated curassow or cushew bird (Ourax Pauxi) is similar in size, and has a large, hollow, blue, pear-shaped protuberance on the head. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. [ SeeCuirass. ] A cuirass or breastplate. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]