ouabain

O1U1A1B3A1I1N1
/ˈwɑːbeɪn//ˈuːəbeɪn/

noun

A poisonous cardiac glycoside, g-strophanthin, found in the seeds of certain lianas.

OriginFrench ouabain ← Somali waabaayo →
UncommonFirst used 19th c.Scrabble 9
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Meanings

nounouabain (countable and uncountable, plural ouabains)

plural ouabains

  1. countableuncountableA poisonous cardiac glycoside, g-strophanthin, found in the seeds of certain lianas.First known use 19th c.

    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.

    1985, Wade Davis, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Simon & Schuster, page 113

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
strophanthin

Origin

  1. Somaliwaabaayo
  2. Frenchouabain
  3. Englishouabain

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

More words from French, Somali

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Italian uabaina
  • uabainaTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

ouabain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ouabain

MLA

“ouabain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ouabain. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ouabain,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ouabain.

Source: ouabain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.