# cure

Pronunciation: US say "KYUUR" /kjʊɹ/; UK say "KYOOR" /kjɵː/; AUS say "KYOO-uh" /kjʉːə/

## Noun

1. A treatment of any kind, whether a drug, a device, or a method, that restores health.
   - Simple: Something that makes a sick or hurt person healthy again.
   - _Researchers announced a promising cure for the rare blood disorder._
   - _For centuries, willow bark served as a folk cure for fever and pain._
4. Recovery of health after illness or of soundness after injury; the act of healing or the condition of being healed.
   - Simple: The act of healing, or being made healthy again after an illness or injury.
   - _The doctors documented a remarkable cure following the experimental therapy._
   - _With the new drug, a complete cure is now possible for most patients._
5. A means of solving or putting an end to a problem.
   - Simple: A way to fix a problem.
   - _Many believe that better education is the cure for poverty._
   - _Throwing money at the issue is rarely a lasting cure._
7. The process by which a material such as resin, glue, or concrete sets, hardens, or forms permanent bonds through heat, chemicals, or time.
   - Simple: The process of a soft or liquid material, like glue, becoming hard.
   - _The manufacturer specifies a heat cure for the composite panels._
   - _The concrete needs a full seven-day cure before trucks can drive on it._
10. A process of preserving food, such as by smoking.
   - Simple: A way of keeping food from spoiling, such as by smoking it.
   - _The traditional cure for these hams involves weeks of cold smoking._
   - _A proper salt cure draws moisture out of the meat before storage._
12. The spiritual charge of caring for souls; the office or responsibility of a parish priest or curate.
   - Simple: A priest's religious duty to care for the souls of the people in a parish.
   - _The bishop entrusted the cure of three rural parishes to a single priest._
   - _Taking on the cure meant tending to every soul in the district._

## Verb

2. To end a disease or condition, or to restore a person or animal to health.
   - Simple: To make an illness go away or make a sick person or animal healthy again.
   - _The therapy cured his chronic infection after two rounds of treatment._
   - _Few treatments can cure the disease once it reaches a late stage._
3. To preserve food, usually by salting it.
   - Simple: To keep food from going bad, often by adding salt.
   - _Farmers cure pork bellies in salt for several weeks before smoking them._
   - _The ham was cured slowly over many months in a cool cellar._
6. To rid someone or something of a defect or fault.
   - Simple: To get rid of a fault or bad habit in someone or something.
   - _The coach worked to cure the young pitcher of his awkward throwing motion._
   - _A few embarrassing mistakes cured her of overconfidence._
8. To solidify, set, or form a gel, as glue, resin, or concrete hardens over time.
   - Simple: To slowly become hard or set, like glue, paint, or cement drying.
   - _Epoxy resins cure into a hard, glassy finish._
   - _The sealant must cure completely before the joint bears any weight._
9. To treat a material such as rubber, tobacco, or leather by chemical or physical processing so it can be kept or used, or to undergo such treatment.
   - Simple: To treat a material so it lasts or is ready to use, or to go through this treatment.
   - _Manufacturers cure the rubber under heat and pressure to make it durable._
   - _The epoxy was cured overnight before the parts were assembled._

## Verb

11. To become healed; to recover from illness or injury. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To get better and heal from a sickness or wound.
14. To pay heed; to care or give attention to something. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To pay attention to something or to care about it.

## Noun

13. Careful attention, heed, or concern given to a matter. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Careful attention or concern given to something.
15. An odd or eccentric person; an amusing oddball. *(obsolete, UK)*
   - Simple: A strange or unusual person who behaves in odd ways.

## Other meanings

- (noun) Fish that has been preserved by salting or smoking.
- (noun) The people or parish placed under the spiritual charge of a priest or curate.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 4–5, 7, 10, 12–13** — Latin cura ("care, medical attendance, cure") gave Old French cure ("care, healing, cure of souls"), and Middle English borrowed it as cure. It took the place of native Old English hǣlu, which lives on as heal.
**Meanings 2–3, 6, 8–9, 11, 14** — Latin cūrāre passed into Old French as curer and then into Middle English as curen. It partly pushed aside Old English ġehǣlan, the source of modern heal.
**Meaning 15** — A shortening of curiosity, in its sense of something odd or unusual.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cure (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).