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
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
Camphor said he’s been closely watching the governor’s race and remains undecided.
From Washington Post • Sep. 5, 2018
Through August 2016, Seattle police responded to eight more 911 calls involving Lyles and Camphor, including one in which Lyles was 34 weeks pregnant with Camphor’s child.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 27, 2017
Camphor julaps are very seldom administered to a healthy patient, or where the stomach is sound, immediately after delivery, as the effect would generally be to produce irritation, sickness, and convulsion.
From Secret History of the Court of England, from the Accession of George the Third to the Death of George the Fourth, Volume I (of 2) Including, Among Other Important Matters, Full Particulars of the Mysterious Death of the Princess Charlotte by Hamilton, Lady Anne
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.
