Unction /(?)/

Unc·tion

Unction

n.
  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.
  2. That which is used for anointing; an unguent; an ointment; hence, anything soothing or lenitive.
    The king himself the sacred unction made.
    Lay not that flattering unction to your soul.
  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).

Phrases & Compounds

Extreme unction
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.