kuru disease

Questions

What does kuru disease mean?

A rare, fatal prion disease of the Fore people of Papua New Guinea, causing progressive neurological decline and historically transmitted through mortuary endocannibalism.

Where does kuru disease come from?

From Fore kúru (literally “trembling, shivering”). Perhaps eventually from Proto-Gorokan *kút(V) (“dangling, shaking”) if cognate with the reduplicated element of Yagaria gúli gúli hu- (“be loose, rattle”).

How to pronounce kuru disease

1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “kuru disease”.
2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “kuru disease”.
4. Repeat and practice — Say “kuru disease” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.