camshaft

[kam-shaft, -shahft]

noun

Machinery. a shaft bearing integral cams.

Origin of camshaft

First recorded in 1875–80;cam¹ + shaft

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for camshaft

Historical Examples of camshaft

The cam-shaft is hollow, and serves as a channel for the conveyance of lubricating oil to each of the camshaft bearings.
A History of Aeronautics
E. Charles Vivian
The camshaft and magneto were driven by the crankshaft through a three-member train of spur gears (see Figures 9, 10 and 11).
The Wright Brothers' Engines and Their Design
Leonard S. Hobbs.
The camshaft construction was considerably altered from the 1903 design.
The Wright Brothers' Engines and Their Design
Leonard S. Hobbs.

British Dictionary definitions for camshaft

camshaft

noun

a shaft having one or more cams attached to it, esp one used to operate the valves of an internal-combustion engine

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012