cam en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈkeə̯m/ (Canada, US)
- /ˈkæm/ without æ-raising
- /ˈkɛə̯m/ (Canada, US)
- [ˈkʰɛə̯m] (Canada, US)
- (Southern-England) audio
- [ˈkʰeə̯m] (Canada, US)
- [ˈkʰæm] without æ-raising
Etymology
PIE word *ǵómbʰos Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵembʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *ǵómbʰos Proto-Germanic *kambaz Proto-West Germanic ᚲᚨᛒᚨ Proto-West Germanic *kamb Old Dutch *kamb Middle Dutch kamp Dutch kamder. English cam Recorded since the 16th century, from Dutch kam (“cog of a wheel; originally, comb”) (cognate with English comb, and preserved in modern Dutch compounds such as kamrad, kamwiel (“cog wheel”)). Doublet of comb.
Meanings
- A turning or sliding piece which imparts motion to a rod, lever or block brought into sliding or rolling contact with it.
- A turning or sliding piece which imparts motion to a rod, lever or block brought into sliding or rolling contact with it. ▸ A curved wedge, movable about an axis, used for forcing or clamping two pieces together.
-
(UK, dialectal) A ridge or mound of earth.
Cum doun t' cam' soid
1861, Dean Ramsay, Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character:
- A spring-loaded camming device, a spring-loaded device for effecting a temporary belay in a rock crevice.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| cams | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
camshaft · twincam · heart cam · cambox · overhead cam · rock cam · twin-cam · camwheel · variable cam timing · cam band · cambelt · cam out
Descendants
Translations (22)
fi nokka (mechanical part) · da kam (mechanical part) · it camma (mechanical part) · pt camo (mechanical part) · de Nocken (mechanical part) · fi epäkesko (mechanical part) · fi nostovarsi (mechanical part) · cs vačka (mechanical part) · sv kam (mechanical part) · cy cam (mechanical part) · eo kamo (mechanical part) · sk vačka (mechanical part) · es leva (mechanical part) · ko 캠 (mechanical part) · nl nok (mechanical part) · ja カム (mechanical part) · ro camă (mechanical part) · cmn 凸輪 /凸轮 (mechanical part) · fr came (mechanical part) · ru эксце́нтрик (mechanical part) · pt came (mechanical part) · ru кулачо́к (mechanical part)