different between unction vs unctuous

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin uncti?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??k??n/
• Rhymes: -??k??n

Noun

unction (countable and uncountable, plural unctions)

1. A salve or ointment.
   • 1682, John Dryden, "Mac Flecknoe":

     The king himself the sacred unction made, / As king by office, and as priest by trade.

2. A religious or ceremonial anointing.
3. A balm or something that soothes.
4. A quality in language, address or delivery which expresses sober and fervent emotion.
   • 1853, Charles Dickens, Bleak House, ch 11:

     Krook almost smacks his lips with the unction of a horrible interest.

5. A smug, exaggerated use of language; smarminess.
6. Divine or sanctifying grace.

Derived terms

• extreme unction

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

• count in, countin'

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin unctu?sus (“oily”), from Latin unctum, from unguere, ungere (“to anoint”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??nkt?u?s/
• Hyphenation: unc?tu?ous

Adjective

unctuous (comparative more unctuous, superlative most unctuous)

1. (of a liquid or substance) Oily or greasy.
2. (of a wine, coffee, sauce, gravy etc.) Rich, lush, intense, with layers of concentrated, soft, velvety flavor.
3. (by extension, of a person) Profusely polite, especially unpleasantly so and insincerely earnest.
   • 1857, Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers, Volume the Second, page 14 ?ISBN

     Then he thoroughly disliked the tone of Mr. Slope's letter; it was unctuous, false, and unwholesome, like the man.

Synonyms

• (of a liquid): oleaginous, saponaceous, slimy; see also Thesaurus:unctuous
• (of wine, coffee, sauce, gravy etc.): savorous
• (profusely, especially unpleasantly, polite): creepy, effusive, groveling, oleaginous, slimy, sycophantic; see also Thesaurus:sycophantic

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• unctuous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• unctuous in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• unctuous at OneLook Dictionary Search