George A. Parks
Did you know?
Aromatic ointments and fragrances are the bomb. They are also, literally, balms: healing substances and soothing scents with the power to ease both mind and body. The original balm, what Latin-speakers referred to as balsamum, was the oleoresin of a species of balsam tree. In Anglo-French, balsamum became basme and baume, spellings which entered Middle English and later became balm. Balm eventually begat the adjective balmy, used to describe things with a balm’s comforting, calming qualities, as when Shakespeare’s Othello speaks of “balmy slumbers.” Today balmy is typically used to describe the weather—balmy breezes, balmy temperatures, balmy spring afternoons, et al—conditions that are neither too hot nor too cold, but just right—Goldilocks conditions, even.
Examples of balmy in a Sentence
Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2025
The balmy spring weather can sometimes take a little longer to show up in certain parts of Canada—but the country sweetens the deal with a fair share of family-friendly maple syrup festivals that pop up across the country as the maple trees start to thaw.
—Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Across the street on a balmy February evening, DoorDash driver Jefferson entered a spare, windowless waiting room to pick up an order.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2025
The balmy primer targets uneven texture, fine lines, and pores.
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for balmy
Cite this Entry
“Balmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/balmy. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share