anointment

American  

[uh-noint-muhnt] / əˈnɔɪnt mənt /

noun

• anointments
  plural

1. an act or instance of anointing or the role or position for which someone is anointed; (often used facetiously instead of appointment).

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-anointment
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• anointments
  plural

Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anointment anointments

In the last two decades, Super Bowl commercials have taken on a life of their own, competing for next-day water-cooler/internet anointment as fiercely as the two teams taking the field.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2025

Taylor Swift dominated popular culture, with her record-shattering $1 billion concert tour, her anointment as Time magazine’s Person of the Year and her high-profile romance with Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs football star.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2023

Like other elements of the ceremony, the anointment dates to the coronation of King Edgar in A.D.

From New York Times ● May 6, 2023

From the religious symbolism of his anointment to the moment when the crown is placed on his head, what are the highlights to look out for during the coronation of King Charles on Saturday?

From Reuters ● May 4, 2023

The anointment is done, and the priest moves on, only the dull feeling of helplessness remains.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

At the once I get a move on and safe within my room make yet again anointments of hair that I may to compose Poem.

From Seven Maids of Far Cathay by Ed. Bing Ding