- Canada balsam
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a pale yellow or greenish, slightly fluorescent, clear, viscous, bitter-tasting, water-insoluble liquid, having a pleasant, aromatic, pinelike odor, and solidifying on exposure to air: obtained from the balsam fir, Abies balsamea, and used chiefly for mounting objects on microscope slides, in the manufacture of fine lacquers, and as a cement for lenses. Also called Canada turpentine, balsam of fir.[1810-20, Amer.]
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also called Canada Turpentine, or Balsam Of Fir,oleoresin consisting of a viscous yellowish to greenish liquid exuded by the balsam fir of North America, Abies balsamea. It is actually a turpentine, belonging to the class of oleoresins (natural products consisting of a resin dissolved in an essential oil), and not a balsam.Canada balsam solidifies to a transparent mass and is an important cement, particularly in microscopy for mounting specimens and for glass in optical work.* * *
Universalium. 2010.