kuru

[ koor-oo ]

noun

, Pathology.

1. a fatal degenerative disease of the central nervous system characterized by progressive lack of coordination and dementia, known only among certain Melanesian peoples, especially the Fore of New Guinea, and caused by a slow virus: now virtually extinct.

kuru

/ ˈkʊruː /

noun

1. a degenerative disease of the nervous system, restricted to certain tribes in New Guinea, marked by loss of muscular control and thought to be caused by a slow virus

kuru

/ kr′o̅o̅ /

1. A rare, progressive, degenerative neurological disease found in certain peoples of New Guinea and associated with cannibalism. It is thought to be caused by a prion and results in a fatal encephalopathy.
2. See Note at prion

Word History and Origins

Origin of kuru¹

First recorded in 1955–60; < a dialect of Fore, a language of the Eastern Highlands District

Word History and Origins

Origin of kuru¹

C20: from a native name

Example Sentences

Cole and his team landed on an unfurling fern coil with many points of contact for the design of Payakan’s kuru.

From New York Times

Once the Fore phased the ritual out, the spread of kuru was stopped in its tracks.

From Science Magazine

Mad Cow Disease is the most famous, but kuru also possesses a certain notoriety thanks to its unorthodox mode of transmission.

From Scientific American

It was transmitted by cannibalism, when highland babies made the fatal mistake of licking their fingers after playing with raw brains that their mothers had just cut out of dead kuru victims awaiting cooking.

From Literature

The disease predominantly struck women and children, who customarily handled the brains and organs of dead kuru victims during Fore funerals.

From Washington Post