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Balm vs Barm - What's the difference?

balm | barm |

As nouns the difference between balm and barm

is that balm is any of various aromatic resins exuded from certain plants, especially trees of the genus commiphora'' of africa, arabia and india and ''myroxylon of south america while barm is (obsolete except in dialects) bosom, lap or barm can be foam rising upon beer, or other malt liquors, when fermenting, and used as leaven in making bread and in brewing; yeast.

As a verb balm

is (archaic) to anoint with balm, or with anything medicinal.

balm

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • Any of various aromatic resins exuded from certain plants, especially trees of the genus Commiphora'' of Africa, Arabia and India and ''Myroxylon of South America.
  • A plant or tree yielding such substance.
  • Any soothing oil or lotion, especially an aromatic one.
    • There is a balm in Gilead.... (Spiritual)
  • (figuratively) Something soothing.
    • Classical music is a sweet balm for our sorrows.
  • Any of various aromatic plants of the genus Melissa , such as lemon balm () or bee balm.

    • Synonyms

    * (aromatic resin) balsam * (plant or tree) balsam * (soothing oil or lotion) balsam * (something soothing) balsam

    Related terms

    * balmy * balsam * embalming

    See also

    * lotion * ointment * unguent

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (archaic) To anoint with balm, or with anything medicinal.
  • (figurative) To soothe; to mitigate.
    • (Shakespeare)

    Anagrams

    * *

    barm

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) bearm .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete except in dialects) Bosom, lap.
  • * Late 14th century': And with that word this faucon gan to crie / And swowned eft in Canacees '''barm . — Geoffrey Chaucer, ‘The Squire's Tale’, ''Canterbury Tales

    • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) beorma''; related to the dialectal (Low) German ''Bärm'' ("yeast"), from Middle Low German ''barm'', ''berm''. The cake sense is possibly a shortened form of barmcake, which would be made with yeast as described in that sense, or possibly it is from the (etyl) '' , a type of cake.

    Noun

  • Foam rising upon beer, or other malt liquors, when fermenting, and used as leaven in making bread and in brewing; yeast.
    • (Shakespeare)
  • * 1882 , James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England , Volume 4, p. 620:
    • In 1577 yeast, called barm , is bought at 9d. the pail.
  • * 1913 , DH Lawrence, Sons and Lovers , Penguin 2006, p. 65:
    • And he chaffed the women as he served them their ha'porths of barm .
  • A small, flat, round individual loaf or roll of bread.

    • See also

    * bap * bun * roll * muffin * barmy * barmpot ----