Definition of: camphor

(kam′fər) noun
A white, volatile, translucent crystalline compound, C₁₀H₁₆,O, with a penetrating, fragrant odor and pungent taste, distilled from the wood and bark of the camphor tree and also obtained by organic synthesis: used in medicine as a sedative, as an antispasmodic, in liniments, etc., and in the chemical and plastics industries. [<F camphre <Arabic kāfūr <Malay kāpūr]
—cam·phor·ic (kam·fôr′ik, -for′-) adjective