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
Julia James, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
As a deep freeze continued Tuesday from the Northeast to the Southeast, Southern California and other parts of the West are expected to see another day of balmy weather.
—Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2026
The three modes set the temperature to 104, 122, or a balmy 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 1 Feb. 2026
But his mother, who was raising him alone and working multiple jobs to keep the lights on and the rent paid, could not prioritize the luxury of a proper winter coat for her son in what was usually a balmy town.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for balmy
Cite this Entry
“Balmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/balmy. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
Copy Citation
