Also a brownish, unctuous substance with a strong, penetrating odor, secreted by certain glands in the groin of the beaver, used in medicine and perfumery.
a hat made of beaver or rabbit fur.
a heavy woolen cloth used mainly for coats.
a beaver.
the second brightest star, Alpha Geminorum, in the constellation Gemini: a multiple star consisting of six components lying close to the star Pollux. Distance: 52 light years
classical myth See Castor and Pollux
the brownish aromatic secretion of the anal glands of a beaver, used in perfumery and medicine
the fur of the beaver
a hat made of beaver or similar fur
a less common name for beaver 1
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin < Greek kástōr beaver
Named after Castor; see Castor and Pollux
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The invasive species they brought — like black mustard, tree tobacco and castor bean — slowly crept into the ecosystem.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2024
Ricin is a highly toxic poison naturally derived from castor oil plants.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2024
The modified Arabidopsis overcame metabolic bottlenecks and produced significant amounts of an oil similar to castor oil that it doesn't naturally produce.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 30, 2024
This is, in some sense, castor oil to swallow.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 28, 2023
At night, your mother makes you drink castor oil, which she says tastes better than a green guava.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
Castor cited what she described as reckless attacks on other renewable-energy projects—such as wind power—and the independence of the NRC.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor called the incident "devastating" in a statement on X.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025
The highest ever Powerball jackpots were both won in California — in Nov. 2022 when Edwin Castor of Altadena purchased a ticket worth $2.04 billion and in Oct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2025
"I’ve said many times that if you want to pick a fight with Mother Nature, she’s winning 100 percent of the time," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said in a press conference Tuesday.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2024
“Confusion take this shouting!” exclaimed the magician, stamping on his hat “May Castor and Pollux.... No, not again. God bless my blood pressure....”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
As for the metallic pepperpot-shaped aliens, created by designer Raymond Cusick, Ms Webb remembers rehearsals with actors "trolleying" around on castors in just the bottom halves of the characters that would become The Doctor's nemesis.
From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2023
The cast look like tailor’s dummies in period garb being wheeled around on castors.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 16, 2020
It's odd at first; Stewart seems dazed by the noisiness of the production, to be moving as if on castors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2016
The sculptural giltwood pedestal includes leopard masks above three paw feet that conceal recessed brass castors.
From Architectural Digest ● Jan. 14, 2015
Tell Lucy that her father, who was lounging in a chair on castors, suddenly found his chair running away from him, and he narrowly escaped a ducking in the Nile.
From What We Saw in Egypt by Anonymous
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
