balm
Americannoun
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any of various oily, fragrant, resinous substances, often of medicinal value, exuding from certain plants, especially tropical trees of the genus Commiphora.
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a plant or tree yielding such a substance.
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any aromatic or fragrant ointment.
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aromatic fragrance; sweet odor.
the balm of orange blossoms.
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any of various aromatic plants of the mint family, especially those of the genus Melissa, as M. officinalis lemonbalm, having ovate lemon-scented leaves used as a seasoning.
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anything that heals, soothes, or mitigates pain.
the balm of friendship in troubled times.
noun
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any of various oily aromatic resinous substances obtained from certain tropical trees and used for healing and soothing See also balsam
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any plant yielding such a substance, esp the balm of Gilead
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something comforting or soothing
soft music is a balm
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any aromatic or oily substance used for healing or soothing
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Also called: lemon balm. an aromatic Eurasian herbaceous plant, Melissa officinalis , having clusters of small fragrant white two-lipped flowers: family Lamiaceae (labiates)
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a pleasant odour
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of balm
1175–1225; Middle English basme, ba ( u ) me < Anglo-French basme, bal ( s ) me, ba ( u ) me; Old French < Latin balsamum balsam; with orthographic l pedantically restored
Explanation
If your lips are cracked and dry, lip balm will make them feel better. A balm is a soothing substance with a consistency somewhere between solid and liquid. The ointment-like consistency is part of what the word balm means. It comes down from the word, balsam, which is a gummy substance that comes from trees. You can use the word metaphorically too. If your mother's cooking always makes you feel better no matter how bad things get, you can say her home cooking has been a balm for you in trying times.
Vocabulary lists containing balm
"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
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"The Raven"
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Song of Solomon
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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.
See Examples For:
The device, which is about the size of a tube of lip balm and costs $90, is sold primarily through the pet supply website Chewy and connects to the owner’s smartphone through uCloudlink’s GlocalMe app.
From Slate ● Jun. 20, 2026
That she’s played by Laurie Metcalf, one of our great actors, should be a balm among the soul-chafing antics of “Big Mistakes.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
As he’s watched the Kennedy Center drama unfold and arts infrastructure unravel, he said sitting among laughing audiences has been a balm — for himself and many others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2026
We’ll take our balm where we can find it, especially now.
From Salon ● Jan. 31, 2026
Something else is needed to get from sunup to sundown: a balm, a gentle touch or nuzzling of some sort.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
The research, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, analyzed 35 samples of balms and bandages from 19 mummies.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 16, 2026
He partners with Karishma and the willfully clueless Brij in a profitable business manufacturing ayurvedic balms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026
Now, nearly a decade and many petitions later, the prodigal wrap returns to the United States with the kind of quiet fanfare usually reserved for cult-favorite lip balms or discontinued sodas.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2025
Banal balms surround Janice, slowly driving her mad.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2025
The shampoos and lotions and balms that used to be at the back of the store I shift to shelves near the pharmacy, so that people filling prescriptions can also buy plasters and ointments.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
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.
