cam

¹

[kam]

noun

1. Machinery.,  a disk or cylinder having an irregular form such that its motion, usually rotary, gives to a part or parts in contact with it a specific rocking or reciprocating motion.

2. Automotive Slang.,  camshaft.

verb (used with object)

cammed, camming 

1. to provide (a machine part or mechanism) with a cam or cams.

cam

²

[kam]

noun

1. a camera, especially one that records video (often used in combination, as in ).

   She's a professional photographer who uses state-of-the-art cams.

Cam

³

[kam]

noun

1. a river in E England flowing NE by Cambridge, into the Ouse River. 40 miles (64 km) long.

CAM

⁴

[kam]

noun

1. computer-aided manufacturing.

Cam.

⁵

abbreviation

1. Cambridge.

CAM

¹

abbreviation

1. complementary and alternative medicine

2. computer-aided manufacture

3. botany crassulacean acid metabolism: a form of photosynthesis, first described in crassulaceous plants, in which carbon dioxide is taken up only at night

4. Cameroon (international car registration)

-cam

²

combining form

1. camera

   webcam

Cam

³

/ kæm /

noun

1. a river in E England, in Cambridgeshire, flowing through Cambridge to the River Ouse. Length: about 64 km (40 miles)

cam

⁴

/ kæm /

noun

1. a slider or roller attached to a rotating shaft to give a particular type of reciprocating motion to a part in contact with its profile

Word History and Origins

Origin of cam¹

< Dutch or Low German kam, kamm. See comb

Origin of cam²

First recorded in 1975–80; shortening of camera ¹ ( def. )

Origin of cam³

First recorded in 1965–70

Word History and Origins

Origin of cam¹

C18: from Dutch kam comb

Example Sentences

We’re used to seeing police body cam footage used as evidence following a police brutality incident, or as entertainment in true crime shows.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Lancashire Police has shared body cam footage of the arrest at the man's home in Great Harwood.

Read more on BBC

And admittedly, some of the quips about body cams feel overly anticipated and undercooked.

Read more on Salon

The “fan cam” — turns out it’s not a kiss-cam at all, go figure — is a gimmick the band has been using for quite a while.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The tech honcho was caught on the kiss cam during a Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in Boston, swaying with his company’s head of hiring.

Read more on Salon