camphor
[kam-fer]
- a whitish, translucent, crystalline, pleasant-odored terpene ketone, C10H16O, 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.
- any substance having medicinal or aromatic characteristics similar to those of camphor.
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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for camphor
Contemporary Examples
Imperial Kitchen, a restaurant in Hong Kong, makes my favorite version: smoked Peking duck with camphor wood spices.
Historical Examples
Dissolve in the mixture three quarters of an ounce of yellow wax, and one dram of camphor, stirring the whole well together.
A room gloomy with black walnut and fragrant with camphor was dimly visible.
Keziah CoffinJoseph C. Lincoln
The beds were not made, and a strong odor of valerian and camphor flooded the air.
MelomaniacsJames Huneker
Assafœtida and camphor were useful, and were administered in boluses.
In the air there was a faint odor of skins, dried herbs, sandalwood, and camphor.
SacrificeStephen French Whitman
camphor
- a whitish crystalline aromatic terpene ketone obtained from the wood of the camphor tree or made from pinene: used in the manufacture of celluloid and in medicine as a liniment and treatment for colds. Formula: C 10 H 16 O
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Word Origin
C15: from Old French camphre, from Medieval Latin camphora, from Arabic kāfūr, from Malay kāpūr chalk; related to Khmer kāpōr camphor
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for camphor
n.
substance extensively used in medicine, early 14c., caumfre, from Old French camphre, from Medieval Latin camfora, from Arabic kafur, perhaps via Sanskrit karpuram, from Malay kapur "camphor tree." Related: Camphorated.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
camphor
(kăm′fər)- An aromatic crystalline compound obtained from the wood or leaves of the camphor tree or synthesized and used as an insect repellent and in external preparations to relieve mild pain and itching.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
camphor
[kăm′fər]
- A white, gumlike, crystalline compound that has a strong odor. Camphor is volatile and is used as an insect repellent and in making plastics and explosives. Chemical formula: C10H16O.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.