balm

C2 Topic:The Human Body

US /bɑm/ UK /bɑːm/ See IPA manual

Homophones

bomb /bɑm/

Minimal pairs

Sounds like bum /ʌ/ vs /ɑ/

Freq #19818

Meanings

1

noun
a soothing or medicinal ointment applied to the skin

She rubbed a cooling balm onto the insect bite.
2

noun
an aromatic healing resin, or a plant that yields one

The traders valued the fragrant balm for medicines and perfumes.
3

noun
something that brings comfort, relief, or emotional healing

Her kind words were a balm after the bitter argument.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a soothing or medicinal... salve ointment unguent

2 noun · an aromatic healing resin,... balsamresin

3 noun · something that brings... comfort solace relief

Opposites

irritant aggravation

Word family

Derived forms balmerbalmlessbalmlikebalmy embalm

Related forms lotion resin healing soothing

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

lemon balm
an aromatic herb with leaves that smell and taste of lemon

Noun + noun
lip balm
a soothing preparation applied to the lips to protect or soften them

Noun + noun

Etymology

From Middle English bawme, borrowed through Anglo-Norman and Old French baume or basme from Latin balsamum and Greek bálsamon ("balsam, aromatic resin"). The spelling was reshaped in the sixteenth century to resemble Latin. The figurative sense extends the resin's soothing and healing use.

Topics

The Human Body

External links

# balm

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /bɑm/
**IPA (UK):** /bɑːm/
**Frequency rank:** 19818

## Meanings
1. a soothing or medicinal ointment applied to the skin
2. an aromatic healing resin, or a plant that yields one
3. something that brings comfort, relief, or emotional healing

## Examples
- She rubbed a cooling balm onto the insect bite.
- The traders valued the fragrant balm for medicines and perfumes.
- Her kind words were a balm after the bitter argument.

## Synonyms
- salve
- ointment
- unguent
- balsam
- comfort
- solace
- relief

## Antonyms
- irritant
- aggravation

## Derived Forms
- balmer
- balmless
- balmlike
- balmy
- embalm

## Related Forms
- lotion
- resin
- healing
- soothing

## Etymology
From Middle English bawme, borrowed through Anglo-Norman and Old French baume or basme from Latin balsamum and Greek bálsamon ("balsam, aromatic resin"). The spelling was reshaped in the sixteenth century to resemble Latin. The figurative sense extends the resin's soothing and healing use.

## Topics
- The Human Body

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