camber

UK: /ˈkæmbə/ US: /ˈkæmbɚ/ ,(kam′bər)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

cam•ber /ˈkæmbɚ/   v. 

1. to curve upward in the middle: [no object]
   The road cambers enough here so the water drains off.
   [~ + object]
   The engineers didn't camber the road enough.

n. [countable]

2. Nautical, Naval Terms a slight arching or upward curve, such as the curve of a plane's wing.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

cam•ber  (kam′bər), v.t., v.i. 

1. to arch slightly;
   bend or curve upward in the middle.

n. 

2. Nautical, Naval Terms a slight arching, upward curve, or convexity, as of the deck of a ship.
3. a slightly arching piece of timber.
4. Aeronautics the rise of the curve of an airfoil, usually expressed as the ratio of the rise to the length of the chord of the airfoil.
5. Automotive the outward or inward tilt of a wheel, called positive when the top tilts outward and negative when it tilts inward, measured as the angle, in degrees, between the vertical and a plane through the circumference of the tire.

• Latin camur hooked, curved
• Middle French (north) cambre bent
• 1610–20

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

camber / ˈkæmbə/ noun

1. a slight upward curve to the centre of the surface of a road, ship's deck, etc
2. another name for bank27
3. an outward inclination of the front wheels of a road vehicle so that they are slightly closer together at the bottom than at the top
4. aerofoil curvature expressed by the ratio of the maximum height of the aerofoil mean line to its chord

verb

1. to form or be formed with a surface that curves upwards to its centre

Etymology: 17th Century: from Old French (northern dialect) cambre curved, from Latin camurus; related to camera chamber