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balm

more about balm

balm

 

  5  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Balm  \Balm\,  v.  i. 
  To  anoint  with  balm,  or  with  anything  medicinal.  Hence:  To 
  soothe;  to  mitigate.  [Archaic]  --Shak. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Balm  \Balm\,  n.  [OE.  baume,  OF  bausme  basme,  F.  baume,  L. 
  balsamum  balsam,  from  Gr  ?;  perhaps  of  Semitic  origin;  cf 
  Heb.  b[=a]s[=a]m.  Cf  {Balsam}.] 
  1.  (Bot.)  An  aromatic  plant  of  the  genus  {Melissa}. 
 
  2.  The  resinous  and  aromatic  exudation  of  certain  trees  or 
  shrubs.  --Dryden. 
 
  3.  Any  fragrant  ointment.  --Shak. 
 
  4.  Anything  that  heals  or  that  mitigates  pain.  ``Balm  for 
  each  ill.''  --Mrs.  Hemans. 
 
  {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). 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  balm 
  n  1:  any  of  various  aromatic  resinous  substances  used  for  healing 
  and  soothing 
  2:  used  for  healing  or  soothing  [syn:  {ointment},  {unguent},  {salve}] 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  BALM 
 
  Block  And  List  Manipulation.  Harrison,  1970.  Extensible 
  language  with  LISP-like  features  and  ALGOL-like  syntax,  for 
  CDC  6600.  "The  Balm  Programming  Language",  Malcolm  Harrison, 
  Courant  Inst  (May  1973). 
 
 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Balm 
  contracted  from  Bal'sam,  a  general  name  for  many  oily  or 
  resinous  substances  which  flow  or  trickle  from  certain  trees  or 
  plants  when  an  incision  is  made  through  the  bark. 
 
  (1.)  This  word  occurs  in  the  Authorized  Version  (Gen.  37:25; 
  43:11;  Jer.  8:22;  46:11;  51:8;  Ezek.  27:17)  as  the  rendering  of 
  the  Hebrew  word  _tsori_  or  _tseri_,  which  denotes  the  gum  of  a 
  tree  growing  in  Gilead  (q.v.),  which  is  very  precious.  It  was 
  celebrated  for  its  medicinal  qualities,  and  was  circulated  as  an 
  article  of  merchandise  by  Arab  and  Phoenician  merchants.  The 
  shrub  so  named  was  highly  valued,  and  was  almost  peculiar  to 
  Palestine.  In  the  time  of  Josephus  it  was  cultivated  in  the 
  neighbourhood  of  Jericho  and  the  Dead  Sea.  There  is  an  Arab 
  tradition  that  the  tree  yielding  this  balm  was  brought  by  the 
  queen  of  Sheba  as  a  present  to  Solomon,  and  that  he  planted  it 
  in  his  gardens  at  Jericho. 
 
  (2.)  There  is  another  Hebrew  word  _basam_  or  _bosem_,  from 
  which  our  word  "balsam,"  as  well  as  the  corresponding  Greek 
  balsamon  is  derived.  It  is  rendered  spice"  (Cant.  5:1,  13; 
  6:2;  margin  of  Revised  Version,  "balsam;"  Ex  35:28;  1  Kings 
  10:10),  and  denotes  fragrance  in  general.  _Basam_  also  denotes 
  the  true  balsam-plant,  a  native  of  South  Arabia  (Cant.  l.c.).




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