camphor tree

noun

: a large Asian evergreen tree (Cinnamomum camphora) of the laurel family grown in warm regions

Examples of camphor tree in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The area’s extraordinary natural features, which also include a sprawling 1,500-year-old camphor tree, the largest in Japan, have famously inspired art of equal beauty. Mihoko Iida Josh Robenstone Richard Pedaline, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024 Takashi Kobayashi asks, 30 feet or so up a camphor tree growing in the cramped back lot of a shop in Tokyo. Tom Vanderbilt Josh Robenstone, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2023 Hsien-Seng also developed a technique for extracting oil from a camphor tree, a substance that has been used to make topical painkillers, cleaners and perfumes. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 7 June 2023 Hyatt mixed this collodion with camphor (derived from the camphor tree) and found that the product was strong yet moldable. Matt Simon, WIRED, 27 Oct. 2022 Now Rojas prayed with Martinez’s mother and father, standing beneath the interlaced branches of a camphor tree. Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Nov. 2020 The dusk gave way to night when the cab driver dropped me off under our big camphor trees. Jiwei Xiao, The New York Review of Books, 6 Apr. 2020 Entering Meiji Shrine is like walking into Tokyo’s natural air-conditioning; the city is steamy in the summer, but a canopy of camphor trees covers the park-like entrance, offering cool shade. James Whitlow Delano, National Geographic, 25 Apr. 2019 Surrounded by mountains that form the face of a tiger, the basin is lined by pathways, dense camphor trees and Taiwan acacia. Smithsonian, 6 June 2017

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

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of camphor tree was in 1607

Dictionary Entries Near camphor tree

Cite this Entry

“Camphor tree.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/camphor%20tree. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

camphor tree

noun
: a large Asian evergreen tree that is related to the laurels and is the source of camphor

Medical Definition

camphor tree

noun
: a large Asian evergreen tree of the genus Cinnamomum (C. camphora) that is grown in warm areas and has smooth branches and shining lanceolate leaves and from which camphor is obtained
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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