Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Galban \Gal"ban\, Galbanum \Gal"ba*num\, n. [L. galbanum, Gr. ?,
   prob. from Heb. klekb'n?h: cf. F. galbanum.]
   A gum resin exuding from the stems of certain Asiatic
   umbelliferous plants, mostly species of {Ferula}. The {Bubon
   Galbanum} of South Africa furnishes an inferior kind of
   galbanum. It has an acrid, bitter taste, a strong, unpleasant
   smell, and is used for medical purposes, also in the arts, as
   in the manufacture of varnish.

Source : WordNet®

galbanum
     n : a bitter aromatic gum resin that resembles asafetida [syn: {gum
         albanum}]