- Balm
- Balm Balm (b[aum]m), n. [OE. baume, OF. bausme, basme, F.
baume, L. balsamum balsam, from Gr. ba`lsamon; perhaps of
Semitic origin; cf. Heb. b[=a]s[=a]m. Cf. {Balsam}.]
[1913 Webster]
1. (Bot.) An aromatic plant of the genus {Melissa}.
[1913 Webster]
2. The resinous and aromatic exudation of certain trees or shrubs. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
3. Any fragrant ointment. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
4. Anything that heals or that mitigates pain. ``Balm for each ill.'' --Mrs. Hemans. [1913 Webster]
{Balm cricket} (Zo["o]l.), the European cicada. --Tennyson.
{Balm of Gilead} (Bot.), a small evergreen African and Asiatic tree of the terebinthine family ({Balsamodendron Gileadense}). Its leaves yield, when bruised, a strong aromatic scent; and from this tree is obtained the balm of Gilead of the shops, or balsam of Mecca. This has a yellowish or greenish color, a warm, bitterish, aromatic taste, and a fragrant smell. It is valued as an unguent and cosmetic by the Turks. The fragrant herb {Dracocephalum Canariense} is familiarly called balm of Gilead, and so are the American trees, {Populus balsamifera}, variety candicans (balsam poplar), and {Abies balsamea} (balsam fir). [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
