unguent
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unguent
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin unguentum, alteration (probably by association with the suffixes -men, -mentum ) of unguen fat, grease, derivative of unguere to smear, anoint
Explanation
That sometimes sticky or greasy salve you put on cuts or rashes is also called an unguent. Whether it's a cream or a gel, the main purpose of an unguent is to heal or protect a sore. Unguent comes from the Latin unguentum, "ointment." Ancient unguents were luxurious and included fragrant oils used to anoint and perfume the skin. Some were even symbolically incorporated into religious ceremonies. In old-time of medicine shows, potions and unguents were sold as having magical properties but were usually concocted from common ingredients that could sometimes even be dangerous.
Vocabulary lists containing unguent
100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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The Waste Land
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Girl, Interrupted
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Likewise, “sefet” is thought to refer to a sacred oil, but three vessels with that label contained animal fats combined with plant additives, suggesting it could be a scented unguent instead.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 1, 2023
Bert Parks, 65, for 25 years the mellow master of ceremonies whose rendition of that unguent ballad had become something of a late-summer tradition, has not been invited back for 1980's Miss America contest.
From Time Magazine Archive
Commentators could not help detecting one fly in the unguent, and greatly fearing another.
From Time Magazine Archive
But she is not one to disguise expensively acquired truth under some perfumed, feminizing unguent.
From Time Magazine Archive
Dressed by the nereids and embalmed with honey, honey and unguent in the seething blaze, you turned to ash.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
