Etymology

ouabain

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Today it means: A poisonous cardiac glycoside, g-strophanthin, found in the seeds of certain lianas. Full definition →

First used 19th c.French ouabain ← Somali waabaayo
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The story

  1. Somali · derived fromwaabaayo
  2. French · derived fromouabain
  3. English todayouabain

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

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. A poisonous cardiac glycoside, g-strophanthin, found in the seeds of certain lianas.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.