cam

The word “cam” means a rotating or sliding mechanical part shaped to convert its motion into movement of a connected rod or lever. In plain terms, most often used today as short for "camera/webcam," or for the mechanical part that drives motion in an engine.

“Cam” is pronounced KAM (/ˈkeə̯m/ in IPA).

Here is “cam” used in a sentence: “The engine's valves are timed by a rotating cam.”

Depending on how it is used, “cam” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “cam” dates back to around 1500 and comes from Dutch. Recorded since the 1500s, from Dutch kam ("cog, comb") — a doublet of the English word "comb.".

“Cam” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Cam” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a rotating or sliding mechanical part shaped to convert its motion into movement of a connected rod or lever.

A cam is a shaped part that rotates or slides to push a rod or lever into a specific pattern of movement, such as opening and closing valves. A crankshaft, by contrast, converts the up-and-down motion of pistons into rotation; the two work together but perform opposite jobs in the mechanism.

In climbing, a cam is a spring-loaded metal wedge that a climber jams into a rock crack to create a temporary anchor. When weight is applied, the spring-loaded lobes expand against the walls of the crack to grip more tightly and hold a fall.

No, though they are related. A cam is the individual shaped lobe that pushes a rod or lever, while a camshaft is the rotating rod on which one or more cams are mounted.