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Definition of Unction - 7 dictionary results

unc⋅tion

  [uhngk-shuhn]
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–noun
1. an act of anointing, esp. as a medical treatment or religious rite.
2. an unguent or ointment; salve.
3. something soothing or comforting.
4. an excessive, affected, sometimes cloying earnestness or fervor in manner, esp. in speaking.
5. Religion.
a. the oil used in religious rites, as in anointing the sick or dying.
b. the shedding of a divine or spiritual influence upon a person.
c. the influence shed.
d. extreme unction.
6. the manifestation of spiritual or religious inspiration.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME unctioun < L ūnctiōn (s. of ūnctiō) anointing, besmearing, equiv. to ūnct(us) (ptp. of ung(u)ere to smear, anoint) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms:
unc⋅tion⋅less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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unc·tion   (ŭngk'shən)   
n.  

  1. The act of anointing as part of a religious, ceremonial, or healing ritual.

  2. An ointment or oil; a salve.

  3. Something that serves to soothe; a balm.

  4. Affected or exaggerated earnestness, especially in choice and use of language.


[Middle English, from Latin ūnctiō, ūnctiōn-, from ūnctus, past participle of unguere, to anoint.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

unction 
1387, "act of anointing as a religious rite," from L. unctionem (nom. unctio) "anointing," from unctus, pp. of ungere "to anoint" (see unguent).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: unc·tion
Pronunciation: '&[ng](k)-sh&n
Function: noun
1 : the application of a soothing or lubricating oil or ointment
2 : something that is used for anointing : OINTMENT
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

unction unc·tion (ŭngk'shən)
n.
The action of applying or rubbing with an ointment or oil.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Bible Dictionary

Unction

(1 John 2:20,27; R.V., "anointing"). Kings, prophets, and priests were anointed, in token of receiving divine grace. All believers are, in a secondary sense, what Christ was in a primary sense, "the Lord's anointed."

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Encyclopedia

unction

ritual application of oil or fat to the head or body of a person or to an object; an almost universal practice in the history of religions, although both the cultic practice followed and the sacred substance employed vary from one religion to another. It is possible to recognize three distinct, though not separate, meanings ascribed to ritual anointments by the devotees of various religions

Learn more about unction with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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