(Mach.), a wheel with one or more projections (cams) or depressions upon its periphery or upon its face; one which is set or shaped eccentrically, so that its revolutions impart a varied, reciprocating, or intermittent motion.

Cam
(Cam) a. [See Kam.] Crooked. [Obs.]

Camaieu
(Ca*ma"ieu) n. [F.; of unknown origin. Cf. Cameo.]

1. A cameo. [Obs.] Crabb.

2. (Fine Arts) Painting in shades of one color; monochrome. Mollett.

Camail
(Ca*mail") n. [F. camail fr. L. caput head + source of E. mail.]

1. (Ancient Armor) A neck guard of chain mall, hanging from the bascinet or other headpiece.

2. A hood of other material than mail; esp. (Eccl.), a hood worn in church services, — the amice, or the like.

Camarasaurus
(||Cam`a*ra*sau"rus) n. [NL. fr. Gr. a vaulted chamber + lizard.] (Paleon.) A genus of gigantic American Jurassic dinosaurs, having large cavities in the bodies of the dorsal vertebræ.

Camarilla
(||Ca`ma*ril"la) n. [Sp., a small room.]

1. The private audience chamber of a king.

2. A company of secret and irresponsible advisers, as of a king; a cabal or clique.

Camass
(Cam"ass) n. [American Indian name.] (Bot.) A blue-flowered liliaceous plant (Camassia esculenta) of northwestern America, the bulbs of which are collected for food by the Indians. [Written also camas, cammas, and quamash.]

The Eastern cammass is Camassia Fraseri.

Camber
(Cam"ber) n. [Of. cambre bent, curved; akin to F. cambrer to vault, to bend, fr. L. camerare to arch over, fr. camera vault, arch. See Chamber, and cf. Camerate.]

1. (Shipbuilding) An upward convexity of a deck or other surface; as, she has a high camber (said of a vessel having an unusual convexity of deck).

2. (Arch.) An upward concavity in the under side of a beam, girder, or lintel; also, a slight upward concavity in a straight arch. See Hogback.

Camber arch(Arch.), an arch whose intrados, though apparently straight, has a slightly concave curve upward.Camber beam(Arch.), a beam whose under side has a concave curve upward.

Camber
(Cam"ber), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cambered ; p. pr. & vb. n. Cambering.] To cut bend to an upward curve; to construct, as a deck, with an upward curve.

Camber
(Cam"ber), v. i. To curve upward.

Camberkeeled
(Cam"ber*keeled) a. (Naut.) Having the keel arched upwards, but not actually hogged; — said of a ship.

Cambial
(Cam"bi*al) a. [LL. cambialis, fr. cambiars. See Change.] Belonging to exchanges in commerce; of exchange. [R.]

Cam wheel


  By PanEris using Melati.

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