balata
Americannoun
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a nonelastic, rubberlike, water-resistant gum that softens in hot water and is obtained from the latex of a tropical American tree, Manilkara bidentata: used chiefly in the manufacture of machinery belts, golf ball covers, and as a substitute for gutta percha.
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a tree, Mimusops balata, of Madagascar.
noun
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a tropical American sapotaceous tree, Manilkara bidentata , yielding a latex-like sap
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a rubber-like gum obtained from this sap: used as a substitute for gutta-percha
Etymology
Origin of balata
First recorded in 1855–60; from Latin American Spanish, from Carib; compare Galibi balata
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“He played balata golf balls. They were expensive, and he changed them out on every hole, which I couldn’t believe,” she said.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 27, 2022
How, one might wonder, did Hogan avoid hitting “upshooters” with the downward hit on those old balata balls?
From Golf Digest ● Mar. 24, 2017
At his locker at Brown Deer Park, he found four new Titleist golf gloves and three dozen Titleist Tour balata balls.
From Golf Digest ● Aug. 29, 2016
And in every situation, it flew significantly farther than a balata ball when hit with the same force.
From Golf Digest ● Oct. 16, 2013
Enormous gnarled forms of ceiba, balata, acoma, stand dimly revealed as they pass; masses of viny drooping things take, by the failing light, a sanguine tone.
From Two Years in the French West Indies by Hearn, Lafcadio
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
