Where does “balsam” come from?

balsam (Middle English) comes from Old English balsam, from Latin balsamum, from Ancient Greek βάλσαμον, from Hebrew בושם, from Proto-Semitic *buśm-.

Ancestry of “balsam”, step by step

balsam traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English balsam

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbalsam—
2Latinbalsamumbalsam (substance or tree); balm
3Ancient GreekβάλσαμονArabian balsam tree; balsam, the fragrant oil...
4Hebrewבושםperfume
5Proto-Semitic*buśm-—

via Old English balsamum

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbalsamumbalsam, balm
Every word from Proto-Semitic *buśm- →Every word from Hebrew בושם →Every word from Ancient Greek βάλσαμον →