The Collaborative International Dictionary
Balsam \Bal"sam\ (b[add]l"sam), n. [L. balsamum the balsam tree or its resin, Gr. ba`lsamon. See Balm, n.]
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A resin containing more or less of an essential or volatile oil.
Note: The balsams are aromatic resinous substances, flowing spontaneously or by incision from certain plants. A great variety of substances pass under this name, but the term is now usually restricted to resins which, in addition to a volatile oil, contain benzoic and cinnamic acid. Among the true balsams are the balm of Gilead, and the balsams of copaiba, Peru, and Tolu. There are also many pharmaceutical preparations and resinous substances, possessed of a balsamic smell, to which the name balsam has been given.
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(Bot.)
A species of tree ( Abies balsamea).
An annual garden plant ( Impatiens balsamina) with beautiful flowers; balsamine.
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Anything that heals, soothes, or restores.
Was not the people's blessing a balsam to thy blood?
--Tennyson.Balsam apple (Bot.), an East Indian plant ( Momordica balsamina), of the gourd family, with red or orange-yellow cucumber-shaped fruit of the size of a walnut, used as a vulnerary, and in liniments and poultices.
Balsam fir (Bot.), the American coniferous tree, Abies balsamea, from which the useful Canada balsam is derived.
Balsam of copaiba. See Copaiba.
Balsam of Mecca, balm of Gilead.
Balsam of Peru, a reddish brown, syrupy balsam, obtained from a Central American tree ( Myroxylon Pereir[ae] and used as a stomachic and expectorant, and in the treatment of ulcers, etc. It was long supposed to be a product of Peru.
Balsam of Tolu, a reddish or yellowish brown semisolid or solid balsam, obtained from a South American tree ( Myroxylon toluiferum). It is highly fragrant, and is used as a stomachic and expectorant.
Balsam tree, any tree from which balsam is obtained, esp. the Abies balsamea.
Canada balsam, Balsam of fir, Canada turpentine, a yellowish, viscid liquid, which, by time and exposure, becomes a transparent solid mass. It is obtained from the balm of Gilead (or balsam) fir ( Abies balsamea) by breaking the vesicles upon the trunk and branches. See Balm.
Canada \Can"a*da\, n. A country in North America, bordering the United States on the north. It is a federation which includes English-speaking provinces and the French-speaking Province of Quebec.
Canada balsam. See under Balsam.
Canada goose. (Zo["o]l.) See Wild goose.
Canada jay. See Whisky Jack.
Canada lynx. (Zo["o]l.) See Lynx.
Canada lily. (Bot.) a plant of eastern North America
( Lilium canadense) having yellow or orange flowers with
dark spots; called also meadow lily.
--RHUD
Canada porcupine (Zo["o]l.) See Porcupine, and Urson.
Canada rice (Bot.) See under Rick.
Canada robin (Zo["o]l.), the cedar bird.
Wikipedia
Canada balsam, also called Canada turpentine or balsam of fir, is a turpentine made from the resin of the balsam fir tree (Abies balsamea) of boreal North America. The resin, dissolved in essential oils, is a viscous, sticky, colourless or yellowish liquid that turns to a transparent yellowish mass when the essential oils have been allowed to evaporate.
Canada balsam is amorphous when dried. Since it does not crystallize with age, its optical properties do not deteriorate. However, it has poor thermal and solvent resistance.
Usage examples of "canada balsam".
The name is applied to this Canadian species, in Europe, because of the supposed resemblance of its product, an oleoresinous fluid obtained from punctured blisters in the bark, which is really a true turpentine, known as Canada Balsam or Canada Turpentine.
Also an industrial laser that can drill holes five to forty microns in diameter, a cerametal whisker grower, some Canada balsam or an equivalent syn-resin, another bottle of argon, and a new room-mate.