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Glite Dictionary
camphor spirit

camphor spirit

7.4
A liquid made of alcohol and camphor used to rub on the skin or breathe in for cough relief
  • noun
  • /ˈkæm.fər ˈspɪr.ɪt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : espíritu de alcanfor
  • She rubbed camphor spirit on her chest to relieve her cough.

Examples

  • The doctor recommended using camphor spirit as a steam inhalant for congestion.

  • A bottle of camphor spirit was kept in the medicine cabinet for colds and aches.

  • You can use camphor spirit for steam inhalation.

  • The doctor recommended camphor spirits for my cold.

  • She rubbed camphor spirit on her chest to relieve her cough.

  • A bottle of camphor spirit was kept in the medicine cabinet for colds and aches.

  • The doctor recommended using camphor spirit as a steam inhalant for congestion.

Surface Forms

camphor spirit singular
camphor spirits plural

Morphology

camphor + spirit

The phrase is a straightforward noun-noun compound where 'spirit' denotes a distilled alcohol and 'camphor' names the active substance, so a learner who knows both words can infer it means camphor dissolved in alcohol for medicinal use. This compositional pattern (substance + solvent/solution) is common cross-linguistically and follows standard English formation, making the meaning readily derivable.

Etymology

Camphor spirit paints a simple picture: strong-smelling camphor, a substance from trees, was mixed into spirit, meaning 'strong alcohol', to make a liquid people rubbed on their skin or breathed in for colds and aches. So, the name came to mean the camphor-and-alcohol medicine used as a steam inhalant or chest rub.