camphor tree

American  

noun

1. a tree, Cinnamomum camphora, of the laurel family, grown in eastern Asia and yielding camphor.

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camphor tree British  

noun

1. a lauraceous evergreen E Asian tree, Cinnamomum camphora, whose aromatic wood yields camphor

2. any similar tree, such as the dipterocarpaceous tree Dryobalanops aromatica of Borneo

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Etymology

Origin of camphor tree

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

camphor tree

There was a final and unexpected challenge, when Pham and Solberg were forced to remove a large camphor tree that provided privacy and filtered shade in their backyard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2024

Over there was the camphor tree, where a giant Totoro lay regally beside some oversize donguri.

From New York Times ● Jul. 19, 2023

I serially misidentified a row of New Zealand Christmas trees, a sweetgum and a camphor tree, none of which look like a deodar cedar, which is immensely tall, with gracefully spaced, almost perpendicular branches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2023

In “Totoro,” the camphor tree is what initially draws the father to the family’s future house.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2021

CAMPHOR.—This is distilled from the wood and bark of the camphor tree, cinnamomum camphora, which grows chiefly in China and Japan.

From Mother's Remedies Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada by Ritter, Thomas Jefferson