balsa
balsa Lexical Profile
balsa Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The extremely lightweight, porous, and easily carved wood of a tropical American tree, extensively used for making models, crafts, and buoyancy devices.
"The architecture students built a detailed scale model of the suspension bridge using thin strips of balsa."
A fast-growing tropical American tree of the mallow family, native to southern Mexico and South America, distinguished by its large leaves and yielding extremely light, buoyant wood.
"During our hike through the Ecuadorian rainforest, the guide pointed out a towering balsa flourishing in the canopy."
A flat-bottomed raft or boat traditionally constructed from buoyant logs or reeds, historically used by indigenous peoples of western South America.
"Thor Heyerdahl's famous Kon-Tiki expedition utilized a balsa modeled after ancient Peruvian watercraft."
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish 'balsa' meaning 'raft' or 'float', originally referring to the rafts made from this extremely buoyant wood by indigenous peoples of South America.