Anointments

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of ceremonially applying oil or other substances to a person or object, often for religious purposes
2. a designation or approval that bestows authority or blessing
3. the symbolic action in rites that signifies a transition or endowment of power

Etymology: "Anointments" is the plural of "anointment", a noun meaning the act or ceremony of applying oil. The base verb "anoint" is English, built on the older "anoint" that came into Middle English from Old French "enoint," the past participle of "enoindre," meaning to smear or rub with oil. The Latin source was "inunguere," which carries the same sense of smearing something on. The noun is a simple formation: "anoint" plus the suffix "-ment," which English took from Old French "-ment" and which in turn descends from the Latin "-mentum," a suffix that turns a verb into a noun for the result or means of an action. So an anointment is, quite literally, the product or performance of anointing. The suffix is the same one found in words like "ornament" and "judgment," which is why "anointment" sounds so familiar even though it is less common than its verb.

Synonyms: consecrations, blessings, unctions, rituals