castor

¹

[ kas-ter, kah-ster ]

noun

1. Also a brownish, unctuous substance with a strong, penetrating odor, secreted by certain glands in the groin of the beaver, used in medicine and perfumery.
2. a hat made of beaver or rabbit fur.
3. a heavy woolen cloth used mainly for coats.
4. a beaver.

Castor

²

[ kas-ter, kah-ster ]

noun

, Astronomy.

1. a star of the second magnitude in the constellation Gemini, the more northerly of the two bright stars in this constellation.

castor

¹

/ ˈkɑːstə /

noun

1. a variant spelling of caster caster

castor

²

/ 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 beaver 1

Castor

³

/ 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 myth See Castor and Pollux

Castor

/ kăs′tər /

1. A bright multiple star in the constellation Gemini, with a combined apparent magnitude of 0.08. Scientific name: Alpha Geminorum.

Word History and Origins

Origin of castor¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin < Greek kástōr beaver

Origin of castor²

Named after Castor; Castor and Pollux

Word History and Origins

Origin of castor¹

C14: from Latin, from Greek kastōr beaver

Example Sentences

“Those, over there, are actually castor bean stalks,” Kleckner said as we zoomed past.

From Los Angeles Times

Ricin is a highly toxic poison naturally derived from castor oil plants.

From BBC

The modified Arabidopsis overcame metabolic bottlenecks and produced significant amounts of an oil similar to castor oil that it doesn't naturally produce.

From Science Daily

He was arrested after agents found a plastic bag with castor beans along with a handwritten recipe for extracting ricin from the beans, according to an FBI affidavit.

From Seattle Times

Look for products that contain petroleum jelly, castor oil and glycerin, Rogers said.

From Seattle Times