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frankincense

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frankincense


  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Frankincense  \Frank"in*cense\,  n.  [OF.  franc  free  pure  +  encens 
  incense.] 
  A  fragrant,  aromatic  resin,  or  gum  resin,  burned  as  an 
  incense  in  religious  rites  or  for  medicinal  fumigation.  The 
  best  kinds  now  come  from  East  Indian  trees,  of  the  genus 
  {Boswellia};  a  commoner  sort,  from  the  Norway  spruce  ({Abies 
  excelsa})  and  other  coniferous  trees.  The  frankincense  of  the 
  ancient  Jews  is  still  unidentified. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  frankincense 
  n  :  an  aromatic  gum  resin  obtained  from  various  Arabian  or  E 
  African  trees;  formerly  valued  for  worship  and  for 
  embalming  and  fumigation  [syn:  {olibanum},  {gum  olibanum}] 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Frankincense 
  (Heb.  lebonah;  Gr  libanos  i.e.,  "white"),  an  odorous  resin 
  imported  from  Arabia  (Isa.  60:6;  Jer.  6:20),  yet  also  growing  in 
  Palestine  (Cant.  4:14).  It  was  one  of  the  ingredients  in  the 
  perfume  of  the  sanctuary  (Ex.  30:34),  and  was  used  as  an 
  accompaniment  of  the  meat-offering  (Lev.  2:1,  16;  6:15;  24:7). 
  When  burnt  it  emitted  a  fragrant  odour,  and  hence  the  incense 
  became  a  symbol  of  the  Divine  name  (Mal.  1:11;  Cant.  1:3)  and  an 
  emblem  of  prayer  (Ps.  141:2;  Luke  1:10;  Rev.  5:8;  8:3). 
 
  This  frankincense,  or  olibanum,  used  by  the  Jews  in  the  temple 
  services  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  frankincense  of  modern 
  commerce,  which  is  an  exudation  of  the  Norway  spruce  fir,  the 
  Pinus  abies.  It  was  probably  a  resin  from  the  Indian  tree  known 
  to  botanists  by  the  name  of  Boswellia  serrata  or  thurifera, 
  which  grows  to  the  height  of  forty  feet. 
 




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