Quick links
balsam (fir)†
DCHP-1 (pre-1967)
Entry from the DCHP-1 (pre-1967)
This entry may contain outdated or offensive information, terms, and examples.
1n.
a slender evergreen, Abies balsamea, found in Canada from northeastern Alberta eastward, the source of Canada balsam (def. 1).
Quotations
1822
Patches of the balsam-fir grow principally where the steepness does not prevent debris from lodging.
1882
Amongst the kinds may be mentioned . . . balsam. . . .
1962
. . . the balsam woolly aphid [is] a serious pest of balsam fir in the Atlantic Provinces
2n.
the wood of this tree.
Quotations
1854
Green wood should always be sold nearly a third less than dry, and soft, such as cedar . . . balsam, &c. at an equal reduction.
1957
All of the lumber is spruce, balsam or jackpine from the Longlac limits.
3n.
the clear resin of the balsam fir, much used as a cement in optical work, formerly used widely as a balm on cuts and minor wounds, and once popular as a chewing gum.
Quotations
1836
On Thursday, a woman of the name of Dupre, living in the concession Ste. Rosalie, was occupied boiling gum or Balsam.
1941
Sap of the birch and resin of the pine, / Balsam of fir in mountain purity. . . .
4n.
a fir tree, Abies amabilis, of the Pacific Coast.
See: silver fir(def. 2)
Quotations
1917
Amabilis Fir [is also called] balsam fir. . . .