Also called tolu balsam, balsam of tolu, tolu resin. a fragrant, yellowish-brown balsam or resin obtained from a South American leguminous tree, Myroxylon balsamum, and used in medicine as a stomachic and expectorant, and in perfumery.
2.
the tree itself.
Origin
1665-75; after Tolú (now Santiago de Tolú) in Colombia, where balsam is obtained
Examples from the web for tolu
toluene occurs naturally in crude oil and in the tolu tree.
British Dictionary definitions for tolu
tolu
/tɒˈluː/
noun
1.
an aromatic balsam obtained from a South American tree, Myroxylon balsamumSee balsam (sense 1)
Word Origin
C17: after Santiago de Tolu, Colombia, from which it was exported