balsam fir

American  

noun

1. a North American fir, Abies balsamea, having dark purplish cones and yielding Canada balsam.

2. the wood of this tree.

3. any of certain other firs.

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balsam fir British  

noun

1. Also called: balsam.   Canada balsam..  a fir tree, Abies balsamea , of NE North America, that yields Canada balsam See also balm of Gilead

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Etymology

Origin of balsam fir

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805

Example Sentences

Overpopulation of the lumbering mammals were causing their own starvation as they outstripped available balsam fir trees — their primary food during long, snowbound winters, Michigan Technological University biologists said.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 14, 2023

The cubed porcelain floor tiles in wood-grained, wire-brushed balsam fir from Daltile were one of the design elements that hiked the budget.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2019

Peterson said the park’s balsam fir trees, the preferred food for moose during winter, are being overeaten.

From Washington Times • Apr. 18, 2017

John Vucetich, a population biologist who is one of the study’s two principal investigators, worries that relocating a large number of wolves to the island within the next five years won’t save the balsam fir.

From Nature • Dec. 19, 2016

A balsam fir that grows on a bowlder leaning out halfway down a ravine hospitably spreads its aromatic boughs flat upon the rock, after the inviting manner of this slumber-giving Northern tree.

From Minstrel Weather by Storm, Marian