Also a brownish, unctuous substance with a strong, penetrating odor, secreted by certain glands in the groin of the beaver, used in medicine and perfumery.
a hat made of beaver or rabbit fur.
a heavy woolen cloth used mainly for coats.
a beaver.
the second brightest star, Alpha Geminorum, in the constellation Gemini: a multiple star consisting of six components lying close to the star Pollux. Distance: 52 light years
classical myth See Castor and Pollux
the brownish aromatic secretion of the anal glands of a beaver, used in perfumery and medicine
the fur of the beaver
a hat made of beaver or similar fur
a less common name for beaver 1
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin < Greek kástōr beaver
Named after Castor; see Castor and Pollux
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
India mainly exports rice, shrimp, honey, vegetable extracts, castor oil and black pepper, while the US sends almonds, walnuts, pistachios, apples and lentils.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2025
“Those, over there, are actually castor bean stalks,” Kleckner said as we zoomed past.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2024
Around 90% of oil is valuable for industrial uses in crops like castor beans, Bates said.
From Science Daily • Apr. 30, 2024
The viscous mixture of castor oil and medicine is painful going in and leaves lumps in its wake.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 8, 2023
Without a word, a somber woman slid the glass aside and handed each of us a large cup of castor oil.
From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat
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.
