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anointment

Other forms: anointments

An anointment is the application of oil in a religious ceremony. You don't anoint your pasta with olive oil, anointment is usually performed by a religious leader on a person being blessed.

You're most likely to come across the noun anointment in a religious text or discussion. It's a kind of ritual that takes place in many different religions, and it always involves a special substance — most often oil, water, or milk — applied to a person's forehead or another part of the body. Sometimes kings or priests go through an anointment ceremony, for example. The Latin root is inunguere, which means "to anoint or to smear on."

Definitions of anointment
  1. noun
    the act of applying oil or an oily liquid
    synonyms: anointing
    see moresee less
    types:
    inunction, unction
    anointing as part of a religious ceremony or healing ritual
    type of:
    application, coating, covering
    the work of applying something
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