unguent

[uhng-gwuhnt]

noun

1. an ointment or salve, usually liquid or semiliquid, for application to wounds, sores, etc.

unguent

/ ˈʌŋɡwənt /

noun

1. a less common name for an ointment

Other Word Forms

• unguentary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of unguent¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin unguentum, alteration (probably by association with the suffixes -men, -mentum ) of unguen fat, grease, derivative of unguere to smear, anoint

Word History and Origins

Origin of unguent¹

C15: from Latin unguentum, from unguere to anoint

Example Sentences

Likewise, “sefet” is thought to refer to a sacred oil, but three vessels with that label contained animal fats combined with plant additives, suggesting it could be a scented unguent instead.

Read more on Washington Post

And he goes on to report a test where the unguent was applied by a sceptical clergyman, so that there could be no suspicion of either cheating or demonic involvement.

Read more on Literature

Other results have been ascribed by the disappointed parties to grooming products – unguents, pomades and so on.

Read more on The Guardian

“It would be irrational to assume that unguent cones did not have a scent or that their function wasn’t to perfume its wearer,” she said.

Read more on New York Times

But the discovery also potentially undermines another leading hypothesis about the cones: that they were perfumed lumps of unguent that slowly melted in the sun to perfume and cleanse the body, both literally and spiritually.

Read more on Science Magazine