Frankincense

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  frankincense
       n : an aromatic gum resin obtained from various Arabian or East
           African trees; formerly valued for worship and for
           embalming and fumigation [syn: {olibanum}, {gum olibanum},
            {thus}]

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.