Balsa

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbɔːl.sə/

Definitions

1. A type of tropical wood characterized by its lightness and flexibility, often employed in crafting models and lightweight structures
2. This soft, buoyant timber is favored in creative projects and construction for its remarkable weight-to-strength ratio
3. A lightweight and soft wood from tropical trees, it is commonly used in model making and other lightweight structural applications

Etymology: Balsa is one of the few English words borrowed from a language that left almost no other trace in English. It comes from Spanish "balsa", which referred to a raft or a flat float, and the Spanish word is thought to derive from an older Paleo-Hispanic word, possibly from Basque or from Iberian, though no certain link has been established. The Spanish sense of the word was the vessel itself, and the wood's name came later, from the fact that the light timber was ideal for making rafts. The wood is not related to the more familiar "balsam", the fragrant resin, despite the similar spelling and sound. That confusion is a common trap, and the two words have separate histories that never met.