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camp¹

(kămp)

a. A place where tents, huts, or other temporary shelters are set up, as by soldiers, nomads, or travelers.

b. A cabin or shelter or group of such buildings: gathered branches and grasses for a makeshift camp; had a fishing camp in Vermont.

c. The people using such shelters: a howl that awakened the whole camp.

a. A place, often in the country, that offers simple group accommodations and organized recreation or instruction, as for vacationing children: a girls' summer camp; a tennis camp.

b. Sports A place where athletes engage in intensive training, especially preseason training.

c. The people attending the programs at such a place.

3. A program offering group instruction or recreation without overnight facilities.

4. A prison camp or concentration camp.

5. Military service; army life.

6. A group of people who think alike or share a cause; side: The council members disagreed, falling into liberal and conservative camps.

v. camped, camp·ing, camps

v. intr.

1. To make or set up a camp.

2. To live in or as if in a camp; settle: We camped in the apartment until the furniture arrived.

v. tr.

To shelter or lodge in a camp; encamp: They camped themselves by a river.

[Early Modern English, from Middle French, probably from Italian or Spanish campo, both from Latin campus, field; see CAMPUS.]

camp²

(kămp)

Deliberate affectation or exaggeration of style, especially of popular or outdated style, for ironic or humorous effect: "Camp is popularity plus vulgarity plus innocence" (Indra Jahalani).

adj.

1. Showing or characterized by camp: played up the silliness of their roles for camp effect.

2. Given to or characterized by exaggerated, effeminate mannerisms.

v. camped, camp·ing, camps

v.intr.

1. To act in a histrionic or exaggerated manner.

2. To act in an exaggerated, effeminate manner.

v.tr.

To exaggerate or overdramatize: camped up the characters in the play.

[Origin unknown.]

campy adj.

cAMP

abbr.

cyclic AMP

Camp

(kămp), Walter Chauncey 1859-1925.

American football coach and promoter who developed many of the sport's basic rules.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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