ETYM Dan. kam comb, ridge; or cf. W., Gael., and Irish, cam bent. Related to Comb.
Part of a machine that converts circular motion to linear motion or vice versa. The edge cam in an automobile engine is in the form of a rounded projection on a shaft, the camshaft. When the camshaft turns, the cams press against linkages (plungers or followers) that open the valves in the cylinders.
A face cam is a disc with a groove in its face, in which the follower travels. A cylindrical cam carries angled parallel grooves, which impart a to-and-fro motion to the follower when it rotates.
Shaped rotating disk to convert circular into linear motion.