balsam of tolu
- noun
- /ˈbɔːlsəm əv ˈtoʊlu/
- Specialized
:
bálsamo de tolu
- Traditional cough syrups often contained balsam of tolu for its soothing properties.
Examples
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The perfumer added a drop of balsam of tolu to enrich the fragrance.
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The balsam of tolu has a sweet, aromatic scent.
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Researchers studied the chemical composition of balsam of tolu extracted from South American trees.
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Many cough syrups contain balsam of tolu for its soothing properties.
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The perfumer added a drop of balsam of tolu to enrich the fragrance.
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Traditional cough syrups often contained balsam of tolu for its soothing properties.
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Researchers studied the chemical composition of balsam of tolu extracted from South American trees.
Synonyms
2
7.7
A sticky fragrant gum from some trees used for medicine and perfumes
A yellow-brown sticky substance from a South American tree used in cough syrup and perfume
A sticky tree resin that people use in cough medicine and perfume
A dark brown sticky substance from a tree used in perfumes, to add flavour, and to help wounds heal
A fragrant sticky substance from trees that grow in Sumatra used in perfumes and medicine
A sticky tree resin used to protect skin and scent perfumes
A thick fragrant sap from Copaifera trees used in varnishes, perfumes, and ointments
A thick sticky oil from the Copaifera tree used in ointments and varnishes
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase names a type of resin and is compositionally built from 'balsam' (an aromatic resin) plus the prepositional source marker 'of' + 'tolu' (the source/tree). This straightforward 'X of Y' naming pattern directly indicates 'the balsam that comes from tolu', a transparent structure that a B1 learner who knows the constituents would understand.
Etymology
Balsam of tolu gets its name from the coastal town of Tolu in Colombia, where people collected a sticky, sweet-smelling resin from local trees. That resin was used in 'cough syrup' and 'perfume', so today the name means this sweet-smelling, soothing substance.