cam

See also: Appendix:Variations of "cam"

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kæm]
• Rhymes: -æm

Etymology 1

A 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”))

Noun

cam (plural cams)

1. A turning or sliding piece which imparts motion to a rod, lever or block brought into sliding or rolling contact with it.
2. A curved wedge, movable about an axis, used for forcing or clamping two pieces together.
3. (Britain, dialect) A ridge or mound of earth.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Wright to this entry?)

4. (rock climbing) A camming device, a spring-loaded device for effecting a temporary belay in a rock crevice.

Derived terms

• overhead cam

Translations

part of engine

• Czech: vačka f
• Dutch: nok (nl) m, f
• Finnish: epäkesko (fi), nokka (fi), nostovarsi
• French: came (fr) f
• German: Nocken (de) m

• Italian: camma (it) f
• Romanian: camă (ro) f
• Russian: эксце́нтрик (ru) m (ekscéntrik), кулачо́к (ru) m (kulačók)
• Swedish: kam (sv) c

See also

• cam on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Further reading

• climbing cam

Etymology 2

Clipping of camera, from the first part of Latin camera obscura (“dark chamber”), itself from Ancient Greek καμάρα (kamára, “vaulted chamber”), from Proto-Indo-European *kam- (“to arch”)

Noun

cam (plural cams)

1. (informal) Camera.

Derived terms

• camcorder
• camgirl
• cammer
• camwhore
• dashcam
• nanny cam
• Steadicam
• webcam
• webcammer

Translations

camera — see camera

Verb

cam (third-person singular simple present cams, present participle camming, simple past and past participle cammed)

1. To go on webcam with someone.

Etymology 3

Adverb

cam (comparative more cam, superlative most cam)

1. Alternative form of kam

Further reading

• cam in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

• ACM, AMC, C.M.A., CMA, MAC, MCA, Mac, Mac., mac, mca

---

Acholi

Noun

cam

1. food

---

French

Etymology

From English cam, a shortening of camera.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kam/

Noun

cam f (plural cams)

1. cam (device for filming)

Abbreviation

cam m (uncountable)

1. (military, nautical) contre-amiral (rear admiral (RAdm))

Alternative forms

• (contre-amiral): CAm

Anagrams

• AMC

---

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish camm, from Proto-Celtic *kambos.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /kaumˠ/
• (Galway) IPA^(key): /kɑːmˠ/
• (Mayo, Ulster) IPA^(key): /kamˠ/

Adjective

cam (genitive singular masculine caim, genitive singular feminine caime, plural cama, comparative caime)

1. crooked

Declension

Declension of cam

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	cam	cham	cama; chama²
Vocative	chaim		cama
Genitive		caime	cama	cam
Dative	cam; cham¹	cham; chaim (archaic)	cama; chama²
Comparative	níos caime
Superlative	is caime

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
cam	cham	gcam
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

---

Kurdish

Noun

cam f

1. glass (substance)

This Kurdish entry was created from the translations listed at glass. It may be less reliable than other entries, and may be missing parts of speech or additional senses. Please also see cam in the Kurdish Wiktionary. This notice will be removed when the entry is checked. (more information) August 2009

---

Lojban

Rafsi

cam (or alternate rafsi cai )

1. rafsi of carmi (“intense/bright/saturated/brilliant”).

---

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish camm, from Proto-Celtic *kambos.

Adjective

cam (plural cammey)

1. crooked
2. deformed
3. deceitful
4. (of wood) knotty

Verb

cam (verbal noun cammey, past participle cammit)

1. bow, distort, hook (as finger), crank (of object)

Mutation

Manx mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
cam	cham	gam
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

---

Old Irish

Adjective

cam

1. Alternative spelling of camm

Declension

o/ā-stem
Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	cam	cam	cam
Vocative	caim* cam**
Accusative	cam	caim
Genitive	caim	caime	caim
Dative	cam	caim	cam
Plural	Masculine	Feminine/neuter
Nominative	caim	cama
Vocative	camu cama†
Accusative	camu cama†
Genitive	cam
Dative	camaib
Notes	*modifying a noun whose vocative is different from its nominative **modifying a noun whose vocative is identical to its nominative † not when substantivized

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
cam	cham	cam pronounced with /ɡ(ʲ)-/
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

---

Romanian

Etymology

From Latin quam, or more likely from camai, from Latin quam magis.

Adverb

cam

1. approximately, a little
2. rather

   Lacul ăsta e cam murdar.

   This lake is rather dirty.

Related terms

• ca

---

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish camm, from Proto-Celtic *kambos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaːm/, /kʰaum/

Adjective

cam

1. crooked, askew

Declension

First declension; forms of the positive degree:

Case	Masculine singular	Feminine singular	Plural
Nominative	cam	cham	cama
Vocative	chaim	chaim	cama
Genitive	chaim	chaim/caime	cam
Dative	cham	chaim	cama

Comparative/superlative: caime

---

Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from Persian جام‏ (jâm).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dʒam/

Noun

cam (definite accusative camı, plural camlar)

1. glass

---

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 柑 (“orange”)

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kaːm˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kaːm˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [kaːm˧˥]

Noun

cam

1. ([quả / trái] cam) The fruit orange

Derived terms

• cam sành - a Vietnamese citrus fruit similar to an orange
• cây cam - orange tree

Adjective

cam

1. made of oranges
2. ([màu] cam) of the colour orange

Derived terms

• nước cam - orange juice (literally: "orange water")
• sách màu cam - orange book (literally: "orange-coloured book")