balsa
1
5.8
- noun
- /ˈbɔːlsə/
- US
:
balsa
- It was the end of my first day aboard the balsa sailing raft Manteno-Huancavilca.
- balsa raft
Examples
-
It's just his first night on a balsa sailing raft; that's unnerving for anyone.
Academic text (2002) -
It was made out of balsa wood raft and we're floating down the Amazon and it just started unraveling.
-
Only one crew member and I had any experience on a balsa raft, and that was critical.
Academic text (2002) -
We took the raft apart, removed the worm-eaten logs, and replaced them with new balsa logs cut a few miles inland.
Academic text (2002) -
Most anglers' experience with balsa stems from using small, delicate balsa crankbaits with fragile screw eye hook hangers.
Blog text (17) -
The great balsa rafts were designed to operate off the Pacific coast, and we knew that we'd never really understand their capabilities until we sailed the raft in its home waters.
Academic text (2002) -
He has braved the rapids of a Peruvian jungle river on a balsa raft in quest of a storied gigantic fossil (The Cloud Forest, 1961).
Academic text (2009) -
He built his model airplane using lightweight balsa wood, making it faster to fly.
-
The balsa logs were perfect for constructing a raft that could float easily on the river.
-
The kids enjoyed crafting miniature boats from balsa wood for their school project.
Synonyms
2
3.5
A very light, strong wood from a tree that grows in hot countries used for making models and floats
1
9.9
A group of tropical trees that includes the balsa tree with very light wood
A tropical tree with very light, strong wood used for making rafts and models
Compounds
2
3.5
A very light, strong wood from a tree that grows in hot countries used for making models and floats
How Durable
Surface Forms
Etymology
Balsa for the tree comes from the Spanish word balsa meaning 'raft', because people in South America used its very light wood to make rafts. So the tree's name reminds us that its wood is light and can float.