Camphene
/ˈkæmfiːn/noun
A volatile hydrocarbon once used chiefly in lamps and as a chemical intermediate.
Did you know?Camphene’s name likely came through French and was coined in the age of early chemistry, when many substances were being baptized with names that sounded exotic and alchemical.
Etymological Timeline
Early 19th Century
French/English
camphène / camphene
“A lamp fuel and chemical compound named in the era of early industrial chemistry.”
Late 18th Century
French
camphène
“A term used in chemical nomenclature for a volatile combustible substance.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
camphora
“Camphor, the fragrant crystalline substance obtained from certain trees.”
Late Greek
Greek
kámphora
“Camphor.”
Ancient trade borrowing
Arabic
kāfūr
“Camphor.”
Explore more surprising origins