Balm traces to a Hebrew word for spice and the legendary "Balm of Gilead" — a biblical healing resin worth more than gold.
A fragrant ointment or preparation used to heal or soothe. Also any aromatic resinous substance, or figuratively, something that comforts or soothes.
From Old French basme/baume, from Latin balsamum, from Greek balsamon, ultimately from Hebrew or Semitic bāśām (spice, balsam) Key roots: bāśām (Hebrew: "spice, balsam, fragrance"), balsamon (Greek: "balsam tree and its resin").
The "Balm of Gilead" referenced in the Bible (Jeremiah 8:22) was likely the resin of Commiphora gileadensis, a tree native to the Arabian Peninsula that was worth its weight in gold in antiquity. The English word lost its 's' — balsamum became baume in French and then balm in English — but the full form survives in "balsam." The figurative use of balm as emotional comfort dates to the 14th century, making