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Glite Dictionary
balsam of Peru

balsam of Peru

9.4
A dark brown sticky substance from a tree used in perfumes, to add flavour, and to help wounds heal
  • noun
  • /ˈbɔːlsəm əv pəˈruː/
  • Specialized
translation icon : bálsamo de Perú
  • The perfumer chose balsam of Peru for its sweet and vanilla-like scent.

Examples

  • The doctor applied balsam of Peru to the wound to promote healing.

  • Some people may develop an allergy to balsam of Peru in skin-care products.

  • The balsam of Peru is often used in high-end perfumes.

  • Many people enjoy the scent of balsam of Peru in their cosmetics.

  • The doctor applied balsam of Peru to the wound to promote healing.

  • Some people may develop an allergy to balsam of Peru in skin-care products.

  • The perfumer chose balsam of Peru for its sweet and vanilla-like scent.

Synonyms

balm
vsbalsam of Peru
9 4.9

A sticky plant substance with a sweet smell used to soothe or perfume

is a darker, syrupy form that is also used for flavoring and wound care
balsam
vsbalsam of Peru
  • Specialized
2 7.7

A sticky fragrant gum from some trees used for medicine and perfumes

is a specific dark syrupy resin used more for flavorings and treating wounds
tolu balsam
vsbalsam of Peru
  • Specialized
9.9

A yellow-brown sticky substance from a South American tree used in cough syrup and perfume

is darker and used more for treating wounds and skin than for coughs
tolu
vsbalsam of Peru
  • Specialized
9.9

A sticky tree resin that people use in cough medicine and perfume

is darker and valued more for wound and skin treatment than cough medicines
balsam of tolu
vsbalsam of Peru
  • Specialized
9.9

A sticky yellowish-brown resin from a South American tree used in cough syrups and perfumes

is darker and used more often for topical wound and skin remedies
benzoin
vsbalsam of Peru
  • Specialized
9.6

A sticky tree resin used to protect skin and scent perfumes

is darker and more syrupy, and used also as a flavoring and wound remedy
Sumatran benzoin
vsbalsam of Peru
  • Specialized
8.7

A fragrant sticky substance from trees that grow in Sumatra used in perfumes and medicine

is not region specific and is used more for wound and skin treatment
copaiba balsam
vsbalsam of Peru
  • Specialized
9.9

A thick fragrant sap from Copaifera trees used in varnishes, perfumes, and ointments

is darker and more syrupy, and used more as a flavoring and wound healer
balsam capivi
vsbalsam of Peru
  • Specialized
9.9

A thick sticky oil from the Copaifera tree used in ointments and varnishes

is darker and applied more for skin and wound treatment and for flavoring

Surface Forms

balsam of Peru singular
balsams of Peru plural

Morphology

balsam + of + Peru

The phrase names a kind of balsam that comes from Peru, so its meaning is directly compositional from 'balsam' (an aromatic resin) + 'of' + 'Peru' (the country). This simple origin-based noun phrase is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer the basic referent and likely use.

Etymology

Balsam of Peru comes from a sticky, sweet-smelling resin people collected from a tree and used as a balsam, a soothing 'balm', and because it was sold from the Americas it became known with the name Peru. Because it smelled nice and helped heal, balsam of Peru came to be used in 'perfume', 'flavoring', and 'medicine'.