myrrh

[ mur ]

noun

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

myrrh

/ mɜː /

noun

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

Other Words From

• myrrhed adjective
• myrrhic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of myrrh¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of myrrh¹

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

Example Sentences

Frankincense and myrrh are both spicy-smelling resins extracted from shrubs and trees that grow on the Arabian Peninsula and in northeastern Africa and India.

From Science News

Starting with mixtures of those substances, Egyptian perfume makers added a host of fragrant ingredients that included myrrh, resin and bark from styrax and pine trees, juniper berries, frankincense and nut grass.

From Science News

Myrrh, meanwhile, is rougher, brown, perhaps more scatological, though fundamentally similar in size and sheen.

From Popular-Science

And, the story goes, her explorers, skilled in botanical espionage, secured the empire its first myrrh tree.

From Popular-Science

Frankincense and myrrh aren’t setting the commodities markets on fire, but gold is in high demand—as both Christmas gift and investment—for the second mid-pandemic holiday season in a row.

From Quartz

Same with the Three Kings and their gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

From The Daily Beast

Casper, Melchior, and Balthazar “presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”

From The Daily Beast

The odor of myrrh is fragrant through itself, not through anything else.

From Project Gutenberg

Also, half a drachm of myrrh, taken every morning, is an excellent remedy against this malady.

From Project Gutenberg

But to this King myrrh is a peculiarly appropriate gift, for it is the symbol of complete self-abandonment.

From Project Gutenberg

That gold and incense should be offered a King is clearly His royal right; but what has he to do with the bitterness of myrrh?

From Project Gutenberg

It is the true spice-tree of our Northern clime, the myrrh and frankincense of the land of lingering snow.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• aroma
• odor
• perfume
• scent