From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
balm
n 1: any of various aromatic resinous substances used for healing
and soothing
2: semisolid preparation (usually containing a medicine)
applied externally as a remedy or for soothing an
irritation [syn: ointment, unction, unguent,
salve]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Balm \Balm\ (b[aum]m), n. [OE. baume, OF. bausme, basme, F.
baume, L. balsamum balsam, from Gr. ba`lsamon; perhaps of
Semitic origin; cf. Heb. b[=a]s[=a]m. Cf. Balsam.]
[1913 Webster]
1. (Bot.) An aromatic plant of the genus Melissa.
[1913 Webster]
2. The resinous and aromatic exudation of certain trees or
shrubs. --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
3. Any fragrant ointment. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
4. Anything that heals or that mitigates pain. "Balm for each
ill." --Mrs. Hemans.
[1913 Webster]
Balm cricket (Zool.), the European cicada. --Tennyson.
Balm of Gilead (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).
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Balm \Balm\, v. t.
To anoint with balm, or with anything medicinal. Hence: To
soothe; to mitigate. [Archaic] --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (19 Sep 2003) [foldoc]:
BALM
Block And List Manipulation. Harrison, 1970. Extensible
language with LISP-like features and ALGOL-like syntax, for
CDC 6600. "The Balm Programming Language", Malcolm Harrison,
Courant Inst (May 1973).