Castors are small wheels fitted to a piece of furniture so that it can be moved more easily.
castor in British English1
(ˈkɑːstə)
noun
1.
the brownish aromatic secretion of the anal glands of a beaver, used in perfumery and medicine
2.
the fur of the beaver
3.
a hat made of beaver or similar fur
4. a less common name for beaver1 (sense 1)
Word origin
C14: from Latin, from Greek kastōr beaver
castor in British English2
(ˈkɑːstə)
noun
a variant spelling of caster (sense 2), caster (sense 3)
Castor in British English
(ˈkɑːstə)
noun
1.
the second brightest star, Alpha Geminorum, in the constellation Gemini: a multiple star consisting of six components lying close to the star Pollux. Distance: 52 light years
2. classical mythology Castor and Pollux
Castor in American English
(ˈkæstər)
noun
1. Classical Mythology
the mortal twin of Pollux
see also Dioscuri
2.
a multiple star, actually the second brightest star in the constellation Gemini although it is considered thetwin of Pollux: magnitude, 1.6
Word origin
L < Gr Kastōr
castor in American English1
(ˈkæstər)
noun
1. Rare
a beaver
2.
a sexual gland of the beaver containing a strong-smelling, oily substance used as a scent in trapping and in making perfumes
: also casˈtoreum (kæsˈtɔriəm)
3.
a hat of beaver or rabbit fur
Word origin
Fr < L < Gr kastōr, beaver, after Castor: with ref. to Castor as protector of women from disease; substance was used for treatingwomen's diseases
castor in American English2
(ˈkæstər)
noun
caster (sense 2) caster (sense 3)
Examples of 'castor' in a sentence
castor
Added now to the other smells of flying, the castor oil, the varnish, the petrol, was the smell of fear.
Haines, Pamela THE GOLDEN LION (2001)
Remember that time when she put castor oil in the coffee, the evening of my first book-club meeting?
Peter Robinson AFTERMATH (2001)
Word lists with
castor
Oils used in perfume and medicine
All related terms of 'castor'
castor bean
the seed of this plant
castor oil
Castor oil is a thick yellow oil that is obtained from the seeds of the castor oil plant. It has a very unpleasant taste and in former times was used as a medicine .
castor sugar
finely ground white sugar
Castor and Pollux
the twin sons of Leda : Pollux was fathered by Zeus , Castor by the mortal Tyndareus . After Castor's death, Pollux spent half his days with his half-brother in Hades and half with the gods in Olympus
castor-oil plant
a tall euphorbiaceous Indian plant, Ricinus communis, cultivated in tropical regions for ornament and for its poisonous seeds , from which castor oil is extracted
caster sugar
Caster sugar is white sugar that has been ground into fine grains . It is used in cooking .