Canada balsam

American  

noun

1. 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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Canada balsam British  

noun

1. 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

2. another name for balsam fir

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Etymology

Origin of Canada balsam

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20

Example Sentences

But on the Isle Royale National Park near Michigan’s border with Canada, balsam firs were being devoured.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 20, 2023

To examine the skeleton of a Spongillid.—Cut thin hand-sections with a sharp scalpel, dehydrate if necessary, and mount in Canada balsam.

From Freshwater Sponges, Hydroids & Polyzoa by Annandale, Nelson

Procure a bottle of Canada balsam in benzole.

From Golden Days for Boys and Girls Volume XIII, No. 51: November 12, 1892 by Elverson, James

Flexible collodion, containing Canada balsam and castor oil, does not crack, but, on the other hand, does not contract.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 6 "Cockaigne" to "Columbus, Christopher" by Various

Canada balsam or Canada turpentine is the oleo-resin yielded by Abies balsamea, a tree that grows in Canada and the northern parts of the United States.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2 "Baconthorpe" to "Bankruptcy" by Various