joss stick

noun

a slender stick of a dried, fragrant paste, burned by the Chinese as incense before a joss.

Nearby words

joskin, jospin, josquin des prés, joss, joss house, joss stick, josser, jostle, josue, jot, jota

Origin of joss stick

First recorded in 1880–85

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for joss stick

Sometimes he would burn a joss-stick beneath its branches and kneel down and pray.
Myths & Legends of Japan|F. Hadland (Frederick Hadland) Davis
She then returned with the joss-stick in her hand, and gave it to her husband, who was kneeling on the hearth-rug.
The Mandarin's Fan|Fergus Hume
Somebody lighted a Chinese joss-stick, perhaps to kill the aroma of defunct cigarettes.
Iole|Robert W. Chambers
There's always a little bit of it smouldering in my heart like a joss-stick.
Arundel|Edward Frederic Benson

"That is true," said Hwei dropping the joss-stick, and sat in his chair with a puzzled face.
The Mandarin's Fan|Fergus Hume

British Dictionary definitions for joss stick

joss stick

noun

a stick of dried perfumed paste, giving off a fragrant odour when burnt as incense

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012