Canada balsam

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noun

a pale yellow or greenish, slightly fluorescent, clear, viscous, bitter-tasting, water-insoluble liquid, having a pleasant, aromatic, pinelike odor, and solidifying on exposure to air: obtained from the balsam fir, Abies balsamea, and used chiefly for mounting objects on microscope slides, in the manufacture of fine lacquers, and as a cement for lenses.

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Also called Canada turpentine, balsam of fir.

Origin of Canada balsam

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20

Words nearby Canada balsam

Canaanitic, Canace, Canad., Canada, Canada Act, Canada balsam, Canada bluegrass, Canada Day, Canada goose, Canada jay, Canada lily

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Canada balsam in a sentence

Yes, we do typically do better than Europe (and Canada, too, which is frequently awful on this score).
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The same picture emerges from middle class men in the U.S., Canada, and the Nordic countries.
How Good Dads Can Change the World|Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In fact, Mexico buys and sells more US goods than any other country on the planet except for Canada.
Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That gays (and other liberals) should choose Canadian oil because Canada “has no laws prohibiting LGBT lifestyle.”
How Canadian Oilmen Pinkwash the Keystone Pipeline|Jay Michaelson|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

As southern California turns to desert western Canada could follow Oregon and Washington states as a contender in top class wines.
Beer Countries vs. Wine Countries|Clive Irving|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Our talk ranged from the Panhandle to the Canada line, while our horses jogged steadily southward.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
The conclusion is reached that, despite these drawbacks, the Jesuit mission in Canada has made a hopeful beginning.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
From Canada on the north, to Texas on the south, the hot winds had laid the land seemingly bare.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
This particular kind, I am told, is at the present time only to be found in Canada and some parts of the States.
Asbestos|Robert H. Jones
Metal buttons or pistons located on the toe piece of the pedal-board were introduced by the ingenious Casavant of Canada.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for Canada balsam

Canada balsam

noun

a yellow transparent resin obtained from the balsam fir. Because its refractive index is similar to that of glass, it is used as an adhesive in optical devices and as a mounting medium for microscope specimens

another name for balsam fir

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012