Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Unction?

\Unc"tion\, n. [OE. unccioun, uncioun, OF. oncion, onction, F. onction, fr. L. unctio, fr. ungere, unctum, to anoint. See {Unguent}.] 1. The act of anointing, smearing, or rubbing with an unguent, oil, or ointment, especially for medical purposes, or as a symbol of consecration; as, mercurial unction. To be heir, and to be king By sacred unction, thy deserved right. --Milton. 2. That which is used for anointing; an unguent; an ointment; hence, anything soothing or lenitive. The king himself the sacred unction made. --Dryden. Lay not that flattering unction to your soul. --Shak. 3. Divine or sanctifying grace. [R.] 4. That quality in language, address, or the like, which excites emotion; especially, strong devotion; religious fervor and tenderness; sometimes, a simulated, factitious, or unnatural fervor. The delightful equivoque and unction of the passage in Farquhar. --Hazlitt. The mention of thy glory Is unction to the breast. --Neale (Rhythm of St. Bernard). {Extreme unction} (R. C. Ch. & Gr. Ch.), the sacrament of anointing in the last hours; the application of consecrated oil by a priest to all the senses, that is, to eyes, ears, nostrils, etc., of a person when in danger of death from illness, -- done for remission of sins. [James v. 14, 15.]