What does balsam mean?
Balsam is an aromatic, resinous substance that flows from certain trees and shrubs, prized since antiquity for its fragrance and supposed healing properties. The term covers several distinct natural products, including balsam of Peru and balsam of Tolu from Central and South American trees, and Canada balsam from the balsam fir, which was long valued for cementing lenses and mounting microscope slides. The word also names plants themselves: the balsam fir of North American forests, beloved as a Christmas tree for its scent, and the showy garden annual Impatiens balsamina, often simply called balsam. In medicine and perfumery, balsams appear in cough remedies, ointments, and incense, carrying connotations of comfort and restoration. Though largely a botanical and commercial term today, balsam retains a poetic aura, evoking woodland freshness and old-world apothecaries.
nounA fragrant resinous substance obtained from certain trees and shrubs, especially of the genus Balsamodendron, Populus, and Abies; also a plant of the genus Impatiens cultivated for its brightly coloured flowers.
- An oily, fragrant resin obtained from certain trees and shrubs, used in medicine, perfumery, and microscopy.
- Any of various plants prized for their scent or flowers, especially the garden plant Impatiens balsamina and the balsam fir (Abies balsamea).
"The carpenter rubbed warm balsam into the grain of the walnut table until it gleamed."
"Microscopists mounted the specimen in Canada balsam to preserve it under glass."
"She planted impatiens — known as balsams — along the shady border where little else would bloom."
Standard plural; commonly seen when referring collectively to plants of the genus Impatiens.
"The greenhouse bench held rows of young balsams ready for planting out."
The word 'balsam' travelled from ancient Hebrew 'baśam' (spice) through Greek and Latin before it ever named a tree — it has been perfuming language for over two thousand years.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of balsam
Balsam entered English through Latin and Greek: the Greek 'balsamon' derives from Hebrew 'baśam' (or Aramaic 'busma'), meaning spice or perfume, and Latin adopted it as 'balsamum'. The word reached English via Old French in the medieval period, with the noun well established by the late Middle Ages. It shares this Semitic root with 'balm', whose Latin form 'balme' followed a parallel route through Greek 'balsamon' — making the two words close cognates rather than derivatives of one another.
Related word forms
How balsam is actually used
Mostly used in technical, botanical, and commercial contexts rather than everyday conversation. In figurative or poetic use, writers often reach instead for the related but more familiar word 'balm'.
Easily confused with balsam
Balm is a broader term for any aromatic or healing ointment (and figuratively something soothing), whereas balsam specifically denotes the resinous exudate of particular trees or the flowering plant.