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# camphor

noun (camphor, uncountable)

«camphor» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A white, waxy substance with a strong, sharp smell, taken from the wood of the camphor tree or made in factories; it is used in some medicines and rubs, and once to keep moths away from clothes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/camphor/#m1)
2. Camphor can also mean the large tree that the substance comes from. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/camphor/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science, camphor is a chemical that turns straight from a solid to a gas (it sublimes), which is why its smell spreads. In the past, clothes were stored with camphor or mothballs. In old stories, a room or old clothes smelling of camphor tells the reader they have been put away for a long time. Safety: camphor is poisonous if swallowed, especially for small children.

### Examples

- The old trunk smelled of camphor. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/camphor/#x1)
- Vapour rub has camphor and menthol in it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/camphor/#x2)
- Camphor is poisonous, so never eat it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/camphor/#x3)
- The camphor tree grows in Asia. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/camphor/#x4)
- Grandma kept camphor in the wardrobe to stop moths. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/camphor/#x5)
- The smell of camphor made my eyes water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/camphor/#x6)
- Thence we sailed to the isle of Rohat where the camphor trees grow to such a size that a hundred men could shelter under one of them with ease. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/camphor/#x7)

### Note

Uncountable. Sounds like «CAM-fer». Safety word: keep camphor products away from small children.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «camphor» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/camphor/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«camphor» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/camphor.html) on Mova free.