Etymology Explorer › Old Polish

Where does “balsam” come from?

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

Ancestry of “balsam”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinbalsamumbalsam ; balm
2Ancient GreekβάλσαμονArabian balsam tree; balsam, the fragrant oil...
3Hebrewבושםperfume
4Proto-Semitic*buśm-—

Words derived from “balsam”

  • balsam
  • balsamować
Every word from Proto-Semitic *buśm- →