'Balm of Gilead' definitions:
Definition of 'balm of Gilead'
From: WordNet
noun
Medium-sized fir of northeastern North America; leaves smell of balsam when crushed; much used for pulpwood and Christmas trees [syn: balsam fir, balm of Gilead, Canada balsam, Abies balsamea]
noun
A fragrant oleoresin
noun
Small evergreen tree of Africa and Asia; leaves have a strong aromatic odor when bruised [syn: balm of gilead, Commiphora meccanensis]
Definition of 'Balm of Gilead'
From: GCIDE
- Balm \Balm\ (b[aum]m), n. [OE. baume, OF. bausme, basme, F. baume, L. balsamum balsam, from Gr. ba`lsamon; perhaps of Semitic origin; cf. Heb. b[=a]s[=a]m. 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]