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

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

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

The smell of camphor trees in Kamata, a suburban section of Tokyo, intrigued Bobby.

From Literature

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

From Los Angeles Times

One such space is Diehu Park, or Butterfly Lake Park, where weeping willows and camphor trees surround an artificial lake.

From New York Times