Etymology

camshaft

C3A1M3S1H4A1F4T1

Today it means: A shaft fitted with cams; especially one in a piston engine that activates the valves. Full definition →

English shaft ← Dutch kam ← Middle Dutch kamp
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ǵembʰ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ǵómbʰos
  3. Proto-Germanic*kambaz
  4. Proto-West Germanicᚲᚨᛒᚨ
  5. Proto-West Germanic*kamb
  6. Old Dutch*kamb
  7. Middle Dutchkamp
  8. Dutchkam
  9. Englishcam
  10. Englishshaft
  11. English todaycamshaft

From cam + shaft.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.