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

See Examples For:

Canada balsam

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

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2023

Canada balsam and crude turpentine are familiar examples of the first class.

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Thatcher, Roscoe Wilfred

The balsam fir is probably best known as the typical Christmas tree of the Northeastern states and the source of Canada balsam, used in laboratories and in medicine.

From Trees Worth Knowing by Rogers, Julia Ellen

A very loose rock is best boiled in Canada balsam, hard enough to set, before it is put against the wheel.

From On Laboratory Arts by Threlfall, Richard

It is frequently adulterated for market.—The balm of Gilead fir, which produces a turpentine called Canada balsam, is the Abies balsamifĕra, a North American species, whose range is from Virginia to Canada.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 3 Atrebates to Bedlis by Various