Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Camphor \Cam"phor\, n. [OE. camfere, F. camphre (cf. It.
   camfara, Sp. camfara, alcanfor, LL. camfora, camphara, NGr.
   ?), fr. Ar. k[=a]f[=u]r, prob. fr. Skr. karp[=u]ra.]
   1. A tough, white, aromatic resin, or gum, obtained from
      different species of the {Laurus} family, esp. from
      {Cinnamomum camphara} (the {Laurus camphara} of
      Linn[ae]us.). 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}.

   Note: 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.