balm en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /bɔlm/ (US)
- /bɑm/ (US)
- /bæm/ (US, obsolete)
- /bɔm/ (US)
- /bɑlm/ (US)
- (US) audio
- /bɑːm/ (UK)
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English bawme, borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Middle French baume, from Old French basme, from Latin balsamum, itself from Ancient Greek βάλσαμον (bálsamon). Spelling modified 16th c. to conform to Latin etymology. Doublet of balsam and desman.
Meanings
- (countable, uncountable) Any of various aromatic resins exuded from certain plants, especially trees of the genus Commiphora of Africa, Arabia and India and Myroxylon of South America.
- (countable, uncountable) An aromatic preparation for embalming the dead.
- (countable, uncountable) A plant or tree yielding such substance.
- (countable, uncountable) Any soothing oil or lotion, especially an aromatic one.
-
(countable, figuratively, uncountable) Something soothing.
BEAT on, proud billows; Boreas blow; / Swell, curled waves, high as Jove's roof; / Your incivility doth ſhow, / That innocence is tempeſt proof; / Though ſurly Nereus frown, my thoughts are calm; / Then ſtrike, Affliction, for thy wounds are balm. [Attributed to Roger L'Estrange (1616–1704).]
1781, [Mostyn John Armstrong], History and Antiquities of the County of Norfolk. Volume IX. Containing the Hundreds of Smithdon, Taverham, Tunstead, Walsham, and Wayland, volume IX, Norwich: Printed by J. Crouse, for M. Booth, bookseller, →OCLC, page 51:Classical music is a sweet balm for our sorrows.
For Silas House, a novelist who grew up in a congregation in eastern Kentucky about 90 minutes from Ms. Parton’s hometown, the small rural church of his childhood was a paradoxical institution. Its members taught him the “radical empathy” of Jesus, he said. But he also knew from a young age that if they knew he was gay, that empathy could be withdrawn. Ms. Parton’s public persona as someone who consistently embraced gay people and was also “quite Jesus-y” was a balm to him in later years when he didn’t feel comfortable attending church. “For a lot of people including myself, Dolly became what we wanted out of Christianity,” Mr. House said. “She was one of the people who allowed me to come out, and one of the people who allowed me to retain my faith.”
2026 August 30, Ruth Graham, Emily Cochrane, “Dolly Parton and the ‘Pretty Darn Good’ Southern Church”, in The New York Times, retrieved 31 Aug 2026:
- (countable, uncountable) The lemon balm, Melissa officinalis.
- (countable, uncountable) Any of a number of other aromatic herbs with a similar citrus-like scent, such as bee balm and horsebalm.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| balms | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
heart balm · Balmer · Molucca balm · Vietnamese balm · spotted bee balm · embalm · lip balm · balmyard · balmy · heart-balm · balmless · balm of Gilead · balm of Judea · balm of Mecca · beard balm · basil balm · balmlike · tiger balm · balm tea
Descendants
Synonyms
balsam · balsam · balsam · balsam
Translations (3)
fi melissa (plant of the genus Melissa) · mk маточина (plant of the genus Melissa) · gl melisa (plant of the genus Melissa)