Ō·po-băl'sam, n.

n. [Gr. ὀποβάλσαμον, from ὀπός, vegetable juice, and βάλσαμον, balsam; Lat. & Fr. opobalsamum, It. & Sp. opobalsamo.] A resinous juice, called also balm of Mecca, and balsam or balm of Gilead, of a yellowish or greenish-yellow color, a warm, bitterish, aromatic taste, and an acidulous, fragrant smell. It is held in esteem as a medicine, and as an odoriferous unguent and cosmetic. It is produced by two shrubs or trees, the Balsamodendron Gileadense, or Amyris opobalsamum, and A. Gileadensis, of Linnæus.