camphor oil


noun

a colorless liquid obtained from the wood of the camphor tree by distillation and separation from the solid camphor, used in varnish, soaps, and shoe polish, and in medicine chiefly as a rubefacient.

Origin of camphor oil

First recorded in 1830–40

Scientific definitions for camphor oil

camphor oil

The oil that is obtained from the wood of the camphor tree and is used to make camphor. It is extracted from the wood by steam distillation.