From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbalsambal‧sam /ˈbɔːlsəm $ ˈbɒːl-/ noun [countable, uncountable] MDHBPbalm, or the tree that produces it
Examples from the Corpus
balsam• I spotted it briefly as it hopped among the thick branches of a balsam fir close above me.• There are also maple, spruce, pine and balsam fir saplings, and patches of wild raspberries and blueberries.• The red spruces and balsam firs that dominated the vegetation near the mountaintop thrived under high rainfall and cool temperatures.• Other products were jade, rushes, tamarisk and balsam poplar.• At night, they lay on beds made from the branches of balsam firs.• Here is also a carpet of two-to three-inch-tall balsam firs, and similarly-sized red maples.• The balsam fir did not appear to be affected at all, or at least not much.• The balsam fir, which had not shown much decline prior to 1986, also began to be diminished.Origin balsam (1000-1100) Latin balsamum, from Greek balsamon 