myrrh

[mur]

See more synonyms for myrrh on Thesaurus.com

noun

an aromatic resinous exudation from certain plants of the genus Myrrhis, especially M. odorata, a small spiny tree: used for incense, perfume, etc.

Origin of myrrh

before 900; Middle English, Old English myrre < Latin myrrha < Greek mýrra ≪ Akkadian murru; akin to Hebrew mōr, Arabic murr

Related formsmyrrhed, adjectivemyrrh·ic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for myrrh

odor, aroma, scent, perfume, balm, bouquet, essence, punk, redolence, flame, fuel, spice, frankincense, myrrh

Examples from the Web for myrrh

Contemporary Examples of myrrh

Same with the Three Kings and their gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Keep Christmas Commercialized!
P. J. O’Rourke
December 6, 2014
Casper, Melchior, and Balthazar “presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”
Keep Christmas Commercialized!
P. J. O’Rourke
December 6, 2014

Historical Examples of myrrh

It is embalmed and kept sweet by the myrrh and cassia of many tears.
De Profundis
Oscar Wilde
Your lips have given it their sweetness of honey, their fragrance of myrrh.
Cleo The Magnificent
Louis Zangwill
Did ever man anoint himself with oil of myrrh to please his fellow?
The Symposium
Xenophon
Nicodemus brought a large quantity of myrrh and aloes, about a hundredweight.
Jesus the Christ
James Edward Talmage
Gold and sunlight, myrrh and incense, the tinkling of anklets.
Gigolo
Edna Ferber

British Dictionary definitions for myrrh

myrrh

noun

any of several burseraceous trees and shrubs of the African and S Asian genus Commiphora, esp C. myrrha, that exude an aromatic resinCompare balm of Gilead (def. 1)
the resin obtained from such a plant, used in perfume, incense, and medicine
another name for sweet cicely (def. 1)

Word Origin for myrrh

Old English myrre, via Latin from Greek murrha, ultimately from Akkadian murrū; compare Hebrew mōr, Arabic murr

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

Word Origin and History for myrrh

Old English myrre, from Latin myrrha (also source of Dutch mirre, German Myrrhe, French myrrhe, Italian, Spanish mirra), from Greek myrrha, from a Semitic source (cf. Akkadian murru, Hebrew mor, Arabic murr "myrrh"), from a root meaning "was bitter."