cam
cam Lexical Profile
cam Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A camera, especially a webcam or digital video camera used for live broadcasting or monitoring.
"We checked the live traffic cam online to see if the mountain pass was clear of snow."
A rotating or sliding piece in a mechanical linkage, such as a wheel with an irregular shape or a projection on a shaft, used especially to transform rotary motion into linear motion.
"The mechanic inspected the engine to see if a worn cam was causing the valves to open unevenly."
A spring-loaded mechanical device with curved lobes that expand to wedge securely into rock crevices, used as protection in rock climbing.
"She wedged a small cam deep into the granite crack before clipping her rope to it."
• verb
To broadcast or communicate using a webcam over the internet.
"They often cam with their friends overseas during the weekend."
To move, rotate, or secure in place by means of a mechanical cam.
"The locking lever cams tightly against the frame when pushed down."
• Rhymes for cam
Word Origin & Etymology
In its mechanical sense, the word was borrowed in the late 18th century from Dutch kam ('comb' or 'cog of a wheel'), from Proto-Germanic *kambaz. The modern photographic sense is an informal clipping of camera or webcam.