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
Michael Walker, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
With temperatures at a balmy 60 to 75 degrees, there are still plenty of activities to enjoy at the beachside, including kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, and jet skiing.
—Gabi De La Rosa, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2025
Sometimes victorious fans are doing it too, and not exactly in the balmiest places.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
On a balmy September evening in Staten Island, Chef Shaw-naé Dixon is getting ready for her house to be packed.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 5 Nov. 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 12 Nov. 2025.
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