unction
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
unction /ˈʌŋ(k)ʃ(ə)n/
▶noun
- 1 formal the action of anointing someone with oil or ointment as a religious rite or as a symbol of investiture as a monarch.
■ short for extreme unction.
- 2 archaic treatment with a medicinal oil or ointment.
■ an ointment.
- 3 a fervent manner of expression apparently arising from deep emotion, especially when assumed.
– origin ME: from L. unctio(n-), from unguere ‘anoint’.
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