Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kuru

/ˈkʉː.ɹʉː/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.24 in modern English

Syllables
ku-ru
IPA
/ˈkʉː.ɹʉː/
8
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A chronic, progressive, fatal central nervous system disease found mainly among the Fore and neighboring peoples of New Guinea, caused by a prion that probably resembles the scrapie agent of sheep, transmissible to nonhuman primates, and believed to be transmitted by ritual cannibalism.

Uncountable

name

an ancient kingdom, mentioned in the Mahabharata.

Example Sentences

Etymology

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”).

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈkʉː.ɹʉː/
  • British English: /ˈkʊ.ɹuː/

Usage

Synonyms

laughing death laughing sickness Kuru disease

Questions

How do you pronounce kuru?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkʉː.ɹʉː/.
What does kuru mean?
A chronic, progressive, fatal central nervous system disease found mainly among the Fore and neighboring peoples of New Guinea, caused by a prion that probably resembles the scrapie agent of sheep, transmissible to nonhuman primates, and believed to be transmitted by ritual cannibalism.
Where does kuru 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

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