Main Entry: ba·la·ta

Pronunciation: \bə-ˈlä-tə\

Function: noun

Etymology: Spanish, from Carib

Date: 1860

: the dried latex of a tropical American tree (genus Manilkara and especially M. bidentata) of the sapodilla family that is similar to gutta-percha and is used especially in belting and golf balls; also : a tree yielding it