balsa


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to balsa: balsa wood

balsa

a tropical American tree of the bombax family, yielding a very light wood used for rafts and toys: The toy airplane was made of balsa wood.
Not to be confused with:
balsam – a fragrant resin exuded from certain trees; any of various plants belonging to the genus Impatiens; any agency that heals, soothes, or restores: the balsam of kindness
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

bal·sa

 (bôl′sə)
n.
1.
a. A tropical American tree (Ochroma pyramidale) having soft wood that is very light in weight and is used as a substitute for cork in insulation, floats, and crafts such as model airplanes.
b. The wood of this tree. Also called corkwood.
2. A raft consisting of a frame fastened to buoyant cylinders of wood or metal.

[Spanish, raft, balsa tree (used to make rafts), from Old Spanish, raft, probably of pre-Roman Iberian origin.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

balsa

(ˈbɔːlsə)
n
1. (Plants) a bombacaceous tree, Ochroma lagopus, of tropical America
2. (Plants) Also called: balsawood the very light wood of this tree, used for making rafts, etc
3. (Nautical Terms) a light raft
[C18: from Spanish: raft]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

bal•sa

(ˈbɔl sə, ˈbɑl-)

n., pl. -sas.
1. a tropical American tree, Ochroma pyramidale (lagopus), of the bombax family, yielding a light wood used for rafts, toy airplanes, etc.
2. a life raft.
[1770–80; < Sp: boat]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.balsa - strong lightweight wood of the balsa tree used especially for floatsbalsa - strong lightweight wood of the balsa tree used especially for floats
Ochroma lagopus, balsa - forest tree of lowland Central America having a strong very light wood; used for making floats and rafts and in crafts
wood - the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
2.balsa - forest tree of lowland Central America having a strong very light wood; used for making floats and rafts and in crafts
genus Ochroma, Ochroma - one species: balsa
balsa, balsa wood - strong lightweight wood of the balsa tree used especially for floats
angiospermous tree, flowering tree - any tree having seeds and ovules contained in the ovary
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
حَشَبُ شَجَرَةِ البلْساشَجَرَةٌ استِوائيَّة أمريكيّه
balzové dřevobalzový strom
balsatræ
balsa
balsafa
balsatrébalsaviîur
balza
balza
sal ağacısal tahtası

balsa

[ˈbɔːlsə] N (also balsa wood) → (madera f de) balsa f
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

balsa

[ˈbɔːlsə]
n (also balsa wood) → balsa m
modif (also balsa-wood) [model, raft] → en balsa
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

balsa

n (also balsa wood)Balsa(holz) nt
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

balsa

[ˈbɔːlsə] n (also balsawood) → (legno di) balsa
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

balsa

(ˈboːlsə) noun
1. (also balsa tree) a tropical American tree.
2. (often ˈbalsa-wood) its very lightweight wood. His model aeroplane is made of balsa.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in periodicals archive ?
Both cases point out as that the current state of Xilinx FPGAs and its design environment has not been oriented to the efficient implementation of asynchronous circuits; however, this is the only available tool for automatic FPGAs synthesis that shows a significant integration level with the Balsa system.
Canadians are seeking trusted brands for everyday beauty needs "and BalSa answers this demand," Luchien Hoving, SDM's senior vice president of
There are many characters, but the two primary ones are Balsa, a young woman bodyguard, who is asked to protect the young prince, Chagum.
He remembers pop guns firing corks, bombs with caps in between which, when dropped, let off a bang, spud guns, pea shooters, a Mickey Mouse ball bearing puzzle, rubber skeletons, jumping tin frogs, duck callers, Merit chemistry sets, balsa aeroplanes, 3D glasses and Mr Potato Head.
Jeff, an assistant bank manager from Stokesley, had won a bronze medal the previous year and this entrant made from balsa wood and tissue paper was an exact replica of a AJEP Wittman Tailwind light aircraft.
The North Bay PEO is staging its Balsa Wood Bridge-Building Contest at Canadore College's Commerce Court Campus.
The jousters, members of a professional re-enactment group, were using lances with balsa wood tips, designed to break off on impact with an opponent's shield.
While in New Zealand Arnie had prominent Tornado catamaran sailor, Chris Timms, become involved with the business and this led to the pair researching and developing a composite construction using long-grained balsa strips as the core material.
The only parts of the surfer not made of balsa are the wire joints and the two Styrofoam[R] eyes.
Steelhead expert Jim Butler provides a complete 'how to' introduction for novice anglers in "Steelhead Float Fishing" that includes the history of float fishing, the aquatic behaviors of steelhead, 'reading' water, the various float fishing techniques and strategies, natural and artificial baits, float reels and how to cast them, building balsa floats, and a great deal more.
SEAWORTHY: ADRIFT WITH WILLIAM WILLIS IN THE GOLDEN AGE OF RAFTING tells of a sixty-year-old who set out across the pacific Ocean on a homemade balsa raft with only a parrot and cat for company--in the heart of typhoon season.