- anoint
- c.1300 (implied in anointing), from O.Fr. enoint "smeared on," pp. of enoindre "smear on," from L. inunguere, from in- "on" + unguere "to smear" (see unguent). Originally in ref. to grease or oil smeared on for medicinal purposes; its use in the Coverdale Bible in ref. to Christ (cf. The Lord's Anointed, see chrism) has spiritualized the word.