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.

---

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

---

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

Cement for Glass Baths.—The best I have tried is Canada balsam.

From Notes and Queries, Number 208, October 22, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc by Bell, George

The wing is removed and mounted upon a slide in Canada balsam, which should be preferably rather thick.

From Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects by Riley, C. V.

A varnish formed of Canada balsam, dissolved in turpentine, supplies a most valuable means of making paper transparent.

From Paper and Printing Recipes A Handy Volume of Practical Recipes, Concerning the Every-Day Business of Stationers, Printers, Binders, and the Kindred Trades by Ford, J. Sawtelle

Crystallites may also be produced by allowing a solution of sulphur in carbon disulphide mixed with Canada balsam to evaporate slowly, and their development may be watched on a microscopic slide.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7 "Crocoite" to "Cuba" by Various