Cam"phor (kăm"f&etilde;r),
n. [OE. camfere, F. camphre (cf.
It. canfora, Sp. camfora, alcanfor, LL.
canfora, camphora, NGr. kafoyra`), fr.
Ar. kāfūr, prob. fr. Skr.
karpūra.] 1. A tough, white,
aromatic resin, or gum, obtained from different species of the
Laurus family, esp. from Cinnamomum camphora (the
Laurus camphora of Linnæus.). Camphor,
C10H16O, is volatile and fragrant, and is
used in medicine as a diaphoretic, a stimulant, or
sedative.
2. A gum resembling ordinary camphor,
obtained from a tree (Dryobalanops camphora) growing in
Sumatra and Borneo; -- called also Malay camphor,
camphor of Borneo, or borneol. See
Borneol.
&fist; The name camphor is also applied to a number of
bodies of similar appearance and properties, as cedar
camphor, obtained from the red or pencil cedar (Juniperus
Virginiana), and peppermint camphor, or
menthol, obtained from the oil of peppermint.
Camphor oil (Chem.), name
variously given to certain oil-like products, obtained especially
from the camphor tree. -- Camphor tree,
a large evergreen tree (Cinnamomum Camphora) with lax,
smooth branches and shining triple-nerved lanceolate leaves,
probably native in China, but now cultivated in most warm
countries. Camphor is collected by a process of steaming the
chips of the wood and subliming the product.
Cam"phor (?), v. t. To
impregnate or wash with camphor; to camphorate. [R.]
Tatler.
