Bal·a·ta n.
1. A West Indian sapotaceous tree (Bumelia retusa).
2. The bully tree (Minusops globosa); also, its milky juice (balata gum), which when dried constitutes an elastic gum called chicle, or chicle gum.
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Chic·le n., Chicle gum. A gumlike substance obtained from the bully tree (Mimusops globosa) and sometimes also from the naseberry or sapodilla (Sapota zapotilla). It is more plastic than caoutchouc and more elastic than gutta-percha, as an adulterant of which it is used in England. It is used largely in the United States in making chewing gum.
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chicle gum
n : gum-like substance from the sapodilla [syn: chicle]