An archaic or variant spelling of camphor; a fragrant white crystalline compound from camphor laurel trees.
From Old French and Medieval Latin 'camfora,' from Arabic 'kāfūr,' from Sanskrit 'karpūra.' The variant 'camphire' was common in English texts from the 15th-18th centuries before modern spelling standardized to 'camphor.'
The word 'camphire' appears in the King James Bible (Song of Solomon 4:14: 'spikenard and saffron...camphire'), which preserved this spelling in English for centuries—it shows how religious texts can freeze words in time while everyday language moves on to 'camphor.'
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