Balm of Gilead Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun medium-sized fir of northeastern North America; leaves smell of balsam when crushed; much used for pulpwood and Christmas trees
    Canada balsam; balsam fir; Abies balsamea.
  2. noun a fragrant oleoresin
  3. noun small evergreen tree of Africa and Asia; leaves have a strong aromatic odor when bruised
    Commiphora meccanensis.

WordNet

Definitions
  1. (Bot.), a small evergreen African and Asiatic tree of the terebinthine family (Balsamodendron Gileadense). Its leaves yield, when bruised, a strong aromatic scent; and from this tree is obtained the balm of Gilead of the shops, or balsam of Mecca. This has a yellowish or greenish color, a warm, bitterish, aromatic taste, and a fragrant smell. It is valued as an unguent and cosmetic by the Turks. The fragrant herb Dracocephalum Canariense is familiarly called balm of Gilead, and so are the American trees, Populus balsamifera, variety candicans (balsam poplar), and Abies balsamea (balsam fir).

Webster 1913