cambuca
cambuca noun: a 12th-century English game somewhat similar to golf in that it was played with a wooden ball similar to a golf ball.
Noun
cambuca (uncountable)
- A 12th-century English game somewhat similar to golf in that it was played with a wooden ball similar to a golf ball.
- GOLF. - there are many games played with the ball that require the assistance of a club or bat[…]In the reign of Edward III. the Latin name cambuca was applied to the pastime[…].1801, Joseph Strutt, The sports and pastimes of the people of England, page 97
- Though golf as it has been played, from time immemorial in Scotland, is more closely allied to the French game jeu de mail, and the Roman game cambuca, an opinion has been long held by writers on the subject that we owe golf to Holland[…].1896, John Kerr, The golf-book of East Lothian, page 23
- A curved stick used to strike the ball in the game of pall mall.
- A pastoral staff.
Examples of cambuca in a sentence
- Among the everyday activities recorded in the stained glass of cathedrals, one window at Gloucester Cathedral preserves the image of a cambuca player about to strike his ball.2001, Paul B. Newman, Daily life in the Middle Ages, page 162:
- In cambuca or cambuta a curved stick similar to the one use^([sic]) in paganica, was used[…].2008, Adam Sherman, Golf's Book of First, page 7:
Forms of cambuca
| alternative form | cambuta |
|---|---|
| alternative form | cambutta |
Origin of cambuca
From Middle English camboke, from Late Latin cambuca (“hooked rod or stick”) referring to the 'club' used to play the game. Compare cammock.
Questions about cambuca
- What does cambuca mean?
- Cambuca means a 12th-century English game somewhat similar to golf in that it was played with a wooden ball similar to a golf ball.
- How do you use cambuca in a sentence?
- Among the everyday activities recorded in the stained glass of cathedrals, one window at Gloucester Cathedral preserves the image of a cambuca player about to strike his ball.
- What part of speech is cambuca?
- Cambuca is a noun.
Words near cambuca in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: cambuca (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “cambuca.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/cambuca. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.