cam

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A ridge or mound of earth.

   Cum doun t' cam' soid.

2. 2
   noun

   a rotating disk shaped to convert circular into linear motion

3. 3
   noun

   A turning or sliding piece which imparts motion to a rod, lever or block brought into sliding or rolling contact with it.

4. 4
   noun

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

From Old English Granta, Grantebryċġ, the former name of the modern Cambridge, ultimately from a Celtic word for "crooked," Proto-Celtic *kambos, from late Proto-Indo-European *(s)kambo- (“crooked”), shared with Ancient Greek σκαμβός (skambós).

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