nard

[ nahrd ]

/ nɑrd /

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noun

an aromatic Himalayan plant, believed to be the spikenard, Nardostachys jatamansi, the source of an ointment used by the ancients.

the ointment.

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Origin of nard

1350–1400; Middle English narde<Latin nardus<Greek nárdos<Semitic; compare Hebrew nērd

OTHER WORDS FROM nard

nar·dine

[nahr-din, -dahyn], /ˈnɑr dɪn, -daɪn/, adjective

Words nearby nard

narcotic reversal, narcotics officer, narcotism, narcotize, narcotrafficking, nard, Nardil, nardoo, nares, Narew, narghile

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use nard in a sentence

Newsflash Nard-dawg, unplanned pregnancy is sometimes a good thing.
TV Does Sex Ed|Abby Haglage|October 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
At Palermo you boasted you loved to talk with a foe over two sword-blades; Syrian nard softens your courage and your arm.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
"The warmth of thy garments hath a goodlier smell than myrrh, than nard," he is saying, avidly touching her ear with his lips.
Sulamith: A Romance of Antiquity|Alexandre Kuprin
By subtle means, insidious as the breath of nard, corruption of primeval sin was spread from race to race.
The Orchard of Tears|Sax Rohmer

Everywhere was given out the odor of nard, to which Vinicius had grown used, and which he had learned to love in the Orient.
Quo Vadis|Henryk Sienkiewicz
And he smelled the smoke of nard and soltziphal burning in the cressets of the servants of Tishnar.
The Three Mulla-mulgars|Walter De La Mare

British Dictionary definitions for nard

nard

/ (nɑːd) /

noun

another name for spikenard (def. 1), spikenard (def. 2)

any of several plants, such as certain valerians, whose aromatic roots were formerly used in medicine

Word Origin for nard

C14: via Latin from Greek nárdos, perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit nalada Indian spikenard, perhaps via Semitic (Hebrew nēr'd, Arabic nārdīn)

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