camphor
Americannoun
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a whitish, translucent, crystalline, pleasant-odored terpene ketone, C 10 H 16 O, obtained from the camphor tree, used chiefly in the manufacture of celluloid and in medicine as a counter-irritant for infections and in the treatment of pain and itching.
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any substance having medicinal or aromatic characteristics similar to those of camphor.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of camphor
1275–1325; < Medieval Latin, New Latin camphora ≪ Arabic kāfūr < Malay kapur chalk, lime, camphor; replacing Middle English caumfre < Anglo-French < Medieval Latin
Vocabulary lists containing camphor
2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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"When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine," Vocabulary from the short story
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At $45, the wasabi and caviar tots are considerably cheaper than the $100 caviar nuggets served at Camphor.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2025
Camphor and sandalwood for the gods were sourced from Sumatra and Borneo.
From BBC • Jan. 17, 2025
The next month, three days before Christmas, Lyles called police again to request they remove Camphor from her apartment after an argument.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 27, 2017
The Camphor terrace is famous for its ancient tree, once a new species Marco Polo wrote home about.
From Washington Post • Jun. 25, 2015
Pasteur Recommends Camphor Smoking.—In an interview with M. Pasteur, he was asked whether he considered la grippe occasioned by bacteria?
From Health, Happiness, and Longevity Health without medicine: happiness without money: the result, longevity by McCarty, Louis Philippe
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
