2. A company of secret and irresponsible advisers, as of a king; a cabal or clique.
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.]
&fist; The Eastern cammass is Camassia Fraseri.
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.
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.
Cam"ber, v. i. To curve upward.
Cam"ber*keeled (?), a. (Naut.) Having the keel arched upwards, but not actually hogged; -- said of a ship.
Cam"bi*al (?), a. [LL. cambialis, fr. cambiars. See Change.] Belonging to exchanges in commerce; of exchange. [R.]
Cam"bist (?), n. [F. cambiste, It. cambista, fr. L. cambire to exchange. See Change.] A banker; a money changer or broker; one who deals in bills of exchange, or who is skilled in the science of exchange.
Cam"bist*ry (?), n. The science of exchange, weight, measures, etc.
Cam"bi*um (?), n. [LL. cambium exchange, fr. L. cambire to exchange. It was supposed that cambium was sap changing into wood.] 1. (Bot.) A series of formative cells lying outside of the wood proper and inside of the inner bark. The growth of new wood takes place in the cambium, which is very soft.
2. (Med.) A fancied nutritive juice, formerly supposed to originate in the blood, to repair losses of the system, and to promote its increase. Dunglison.
Cam"blet (?), n. See Camlet.
Cam*boge" (?), n. See Gamboge.
Cam*boose" (?), n. (Naut.) See Caboose.
Cam"bra*sine (?), n. A kind of linen cloth made in Egypt, and so named from its resemblance to cambric.
Cam"brel (?), n. See Gambrel, n., 2. Wright.
Cam"bri*a (?), n. The ancient Latin name of Wales. It is used by modern poets.
Cam"bri*an (?), a. 1. (Geog.) Of or pertaining to Cambria or Wales.
2. (Geol.) Of or pertaining to the lowest subdivision of the rocks of the Silurian or Molluscan age; -- sometimes described as inferior to the Silurian. It is named from its development in Cambria or Wales. See the Diagram under Geology.
Cam"bri*an, n. 1. A native of Cambria or Wales.