CANADA BALSAM • DICCIONARIO INGLES.COM • Definition of Canada balsam

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/kˈænədə bˈɔlsəm/ Listen

Canada balsam

noun

Yellow transparent exudate of the balsam fir; used as a transparent cement in optical devices (especially in microscopy) and as a mounting medium.

Medium-sized fir of northeastern North America; leaves smell of balsam when crushed; much used for pulpwood and Christmas trees. Synonyms: Abies balsamea, balm of Gilead, balsam fir.

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Etymology of 'Canada balsam'

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"Canada balsam" Quotes from Famous Books

... Canada balsam," he cried. "Do you remember how I showed it to you first? And yonder the spruce. How stuck up your teeth were when you tried to chew the gum before it had been heated. Do you remember? Look! Look there! It's a white pine! Isn't it ...

— The Blazed Trail • Stewart Edward White

... have endeavored, by a series of experiments, to find out some means by which this opalescence might be got rid of in the most convenient manner. Cementing the transparency to a piece of plain, clear glass with Canada balsam, as suggested by Mr. Woodworth, I found in practice to be open to two formidable objections. One of these was that Canada balsam used in this manner is a sticky, unpleasant substance to meddle with, and takes ...

— Scientific American Supplement, No. 288 - July 9, 1881 • Various

Words linked to "Canada balsam" : Abies balsamea, oleoresin, silver fir, balsam fir