balm

n. [ OE. baume, OF. bausme, basme, F. baume, L. balsamum balsam, from Gr. ba`lsamon; perhaps of Semitic origin; cf. Heb. bāsām. 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 (Zool.), 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 ]

v. t. [ Balm + -fy. ] To render balmy. [ Obs. ] Cheyne. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a balmy manner. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Balmoral Castle, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. ] 1. A long woolen petticoat, worn immediately under the dress. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A kind of stout walking shoe, laced in front. [ 1913 Webster ]

A man who uses his balmorals to tread on your toes. George Eliot. [ 1913 Webster ]