Castor | Definition of Castor by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Castor

noun

• 1Each of a set of small swivelling wheels fixed to the legs or base of a heavy piece of furniture so that it can be moved easily.

  ‘The chair has four legs, pedestal or swivel base with castors.’

  • ‘The cleaner can be used on all coverings, from shagpile carpets to wooden floorboards and ceramic tiles, and is fitted with a soft tread on the castors and wheels to protect even the most sensitive floor coverings.’
  • ‘The base is available with castors for hard or soft floors.’
  • ‘You install the castor wheels with 4 screws each - I put the locking ones at the front for easy access to the lock tab.’
  • ‘To move the camera in and around the small stage space, many of the set pieces were set on castors and rolled about to keep out of the way of the camera.’
  • ‘The desk, which is mounted on castors, has a working area that can easily hold a monitor and various accessories, while its features include a pullout keyboard shelf with swivel mouse support, a printer shelf and plenty of storage space.’
  • ‘If the terrace is too sunny, you could wheel away the tubs, with discreetly placed castors, to a shady corner to rest until the following spring.’
  • ‘The chair's support, frame and castors are made from die-cast aluminium, while the finish comes in either polished or stove-enamelled aluminium in a choice of black, bright silver or anthracite.’
  • ‘It is the best preserved of the group, retaining most of its original black paint; and, except for the addition of castors in the nineteenth century, it is in excellent condition.’
  • ‘Easy to erect and reconfigure, some of the tables are provided with castors so that they can be shifted to create meeting places, group workspaces and individual desks.’
  • ‘It also features a new black-and-white, hexagonal cabinet, with a door that allows easy storage and comes complete with castors for easy movement.’
  • ‘The round seat rests on three castors and is intended as a ‘place of retreat’ where users can withdraw with their laptops and mobiles.’
  • ‘To get at the cabinets you insert a key into the star's centre and turn it so that the whole screen assembly rolls smoothly out on castors towards you.’
  • ‘The turned tapering legs with carved upper sections and brass toes and castors are again typical of the William IV or early Victorian period.’
  • ‘Other surprises in the building are the series of exhibition trucks which are mounted on castors.’

• 2A small container with holes in the top, especially one used for sprinkling sugar or pepper.

Origin

Late 17th century (in castor (sense 2 of the noun)): originally a variant of caster, in the general sense ‘something that casts’.

noun

• An oily reddish-brown substance secreted by beavers, used in medicine and perfumes.

  • ‘Beavers produce scent from their castor glands that creates a reddish stain on mounds of grass and mud that they build at the water's edge.’

Origin

Late Middle English (in the sense ‘beaver’): from Old French or Latin, from Greek kastōr.

proper noun

• 1Greek Mythology
  The twin brother of Pollux.

• 2Astronomy
  The second-brightest star in the constellation Gemini, close to Pollux. It is a multiple star system, the three components visible in a moderate telescope being close binaries.

Pronunciation