balm

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balm

/bɑːm/ UK
/bɑm/ US
/bɔm/ US
/bɑlm/ US
/bɔlm/ US
/bæm/ US, obsolete

Sounds like bomb, BOM (for many speakers with the father–bother merger) · Rhymes with -ɑːm, -ɑːlm

Where it comes from

Inherited from Middle English bawme, borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Middle French baume, from Old French basme, from Latin balsamum, itself from Ancient Greek βάλσαμον (bálsamon). Spelling modified 16th c. to conform to Latin etymology. Doublet of balsam and desman.

noun balms

countable, uncountable Any of various aromatic resins exuded from certain plants, especially trees of the genus Commiphora of Africa, Arabia and India and Myroxylon of South America.
Similar: balsam
countable, uncountable An aromatic preparation for embalming the dead.
countable, uncountable A plant or tree yielding such substance.
Similar: balsam
countable, uncountable Any soothing oil or lotion, especially an aromatic one.
Similar: balsam
countable, figuratively, uncountable Something soothing. Classical music is a sweet balm for our sorrows.
Similar: balsam
countable, uncountable The lemon balm, Melissa officinalis.
countable, uncountable Any of a number of other aromatic herbs with a similar citrus-like scent, such as bee balm and horsebalm.

verb balms · balming · balmed

archaic, transitive To anoint with balm, or with anything medicinal. Shrouded in cloth of state, balmed and entreasured / With full bags of spices!
figuratively, transitive To soothe; to mitigate. This rest might yet have balmed thy broken sinews

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: ointment, unguent, salve, distil, emollient, odor, analgesia, pain, soother, gilead, balsam, balsum, tolu, bdellium, opobalsam, benjamin

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MLA

"balm." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/balm. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

balm. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/balm

Chicago

"balm." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/balm.

BibTeX

@misc{balm_2026,
  title = {balm},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/balm},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}