Camphor
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A white transparent waxy crystalline isoprenoid ketone, 1,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-2-one, with a strong pungent odour, used in pharmacy, also known as laurel camphor or common/ordinary camphor. countable, uncountable
"Yet, oddly enough, I found a far unlikelier substance, and that was camphor. I found it in a sealed jar, that by chance, I suppose, had been really hermetically sealed. I fancied at first that it was paraffin wax, and smashed the glass accordingly. But the odour of camphor was unmistakable. In the universal decay this volatile substance had chanced to survive, perhaps through many thousands of centuries."
- 2 a resin obtained from the camphor tree; used in making celluloid and liniment wordnet
- 3 a plant-extracted crystalline substance similar to common camphor, especially Borneo camphor. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"“I don't like to see the poor thing struggle on a pin; if it must be killed, let us put it out of pain at once with a drop of camphor,” said Mrs. Jo, getting out the bottle."
Etymology
From Old French camphore or Medieval Latin camphora, from Arabic كَافُور (kāfūr), in turn from an Austronesian word such as Malay kapur.
Related phrases
More for "camphor"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.