anointment

Word family

• anoint
  verbC1
• anointed
  adjectiveC2
• anointing
  nounC1
• ointment
  nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Anointment, consecration, blessing, and christening all involve declaring something holy, but they differ in scope and setting. Anointment is the most concrete of the four — it always involves the physical act of applying oil or water to a person. Consecration is broader: you can consecrate a church, an altar, or a cemetery, none of which involve anointment. Blessing is the most everyday term; a parent can give a blessing at dinner, but you would not call that an anointment. Christening is the narrowest — it is the naming and baptism ceremony for an infant. Think of it this way: a priest might perform an anointment during a christening, but the christening is the whole event.

Common collocations

Etymology

Anointment traces back to the Latin verb inunguere, meaning 'to smear oil upon' (from in- 'upon' and unguere 'to anoint'). This entered Old French as enoindre, whose past participle enoint gave English the verb anoint. The noun anointment appeared in Middle English, initially only in religious contexts. The coronation sense developed as European monarchs adopted the biblical practice of anointing kings with holy oil. The figurative sense — being hand-picked for a job by someone powerful — is a 20th-century extension, treating a leader's choice as a kind of secular coronation.