Webster's English Dictionary

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balata

ba.la.ta \b*-'la:t-*\ n [Sp, of Cariban origin; akin to Galibi balata] : a 
   substance like gutta-percha that is the dried juice of tropical Americ an 
   trees (esp. Manilkara bidentata) of the sapodilla family and is used esp. 
   in belting and golf balls; also : a tree yielding balata