castor

1 of 2

noun (1)

cas·​tor ˈka-stər How to pronounce castor (audio)
1
2
3
: a beaver hat

Castor

2 of 2

noun (2)

Cas·​tor ˈka-stər How to pronounce Castor (audio)
1
: one of the Dioscuri
2
: the more northern of the two bright stars in Gemini

Examples of castor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In addition to rosemary oil, The Mane Choice’s formula has hydrating soybean, castor, coconut, and sunflower seed oils. Macaela MacKenzie, Glamour, 27 Feb. 2024 The gloss is hydrating but not sticky thanks to its unique blend of avocado, raspberry, castor, and other oils that prevent drying and peeling. Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 4 Feb. 2024 That’s where the Carol’s Daughter Goddess Strength 7-Oil Blend comes into play: an ultra-hydrating, strengthening formula championed by castor and black cumin seed oils to reinforce each brittle strand and champion healthier growth. Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 28 Oct. 2023 It’s formulated with a deeply nourishing castor seed oil that softens the lips and hydrates over time. Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 13 Jan. 2024 Castor oil is made from pressing seeds from the castor plant. Kaitlin Vogel, Health, 29 Sep. 2023 On Sephora Goop Beauty Clean Nourishing Lip Balm is a lip-saver with its soft and silky moisturizing base containing shea butter, plus coconut, jojoba, argan, sunflower, and castor seed oils. Katherine Alex Beaven, Travel + Leisure, 19 Oct. 2023 As its name suggests, this shampoo is enriched with castor seed oil, which is known for its ability to enhance hair growth and deep-condition strands. Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 19 Oct. 2023 One pass with a cotton pad eliminates all evidence of past color, without making your nails feel brittle (thanks to castor and grapefruit peel oils) or your bathroom smell like a distillery. Liana Schaffner, Allure, 21 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'castor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Latin, from Greek kastōr, from Kastōr Castor

Noun (2)

Latin, from Greek Kastōr

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of castor was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near castor

Cite this Entry

“Castor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/castor. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Castor

noun
Cas·​tor ˈkas-tər How to pronounce Castor (audio)
: the more northern of the two bright stars in Gemini
Etymology

Noun

from Greek Kastōr (name of one of the twin heroes in mythology) see Word History at gemini

More from Merriam-Webster on castor

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