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incense

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: incensé

English

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Rose colored incense sticks

Etymology

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From Middle English encens, from Old French encens (“sweet-smelling substance”) from Late Latin incensum (“burnt incense”, literally “something burnt”), neuter past participle of incendō (“to set on fire”). Compare incendiary. Doublet of incienso.

Pronunciation

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  • Noun:
    • enPR: ĭn'sĕns, IPA(key): /ˈɪnsɛns/
    • Audio (US):(file)
  • Verb:
  • Rhymes: (verb) -ɛns

Noun

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

incense (countable and uncountable, plural incenses)

  1. Biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt, often used in religious rites or for aesthetic reasons.
    Hyponyms: joss stick, incense stick
  2. The fragrant smoke released by burning incense (sense 1).
    • 1820, [Walter Scott], chapter XIII, in The Abbot. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne & Co.] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and for Archibald Constable and Company, and John Ballantyne, […], →OCLC, page 281:
      When the folding-doors were on such solemn occasions thrown open, and the new Abbot appeared on the threshold in full-blown dignity, with ring and mitre, and dalmatique and crosier, his hoary standard-bearers and his juvenile dispensers of incense preceding him, and the venerable train of monks behind him, with all besides which could announce the supreme authority to which he was now raised, his appearance was a signal for the magnificent jubilate to rise from the organ and music-loft, and to be joined by the corresponding bursts of Alleluiah from the whole assembled congregation.
  3. (figurative) Homage; adulation.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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incense (third-person singular simple present incenses, present participle incensing, simple past and past participle incensed)

  1. (obsolete, transitive) To set on fire; to inflame; to kindle; to burn.
    Synonyms: inflame; see also Thesaurus:kindle
  2. (transitive) To anger or infuriate.
    Synonyms: inflame; see also Thesaurus:enrage
    I think it would incense him to learn the truth.
    • 1909 December 1, “‘Traditions’”, in Fresno Herald and Democrat, last edition, volume XLI, number 1008, Fresno, Calif., →OCLC, page 4, column 2:
      His Grace the Duke of Wellington was incensed greatly, and as badge of dishonor ordered that a strip of cherry colored ribbon be sewed on their trowser seams.
    • 2025 October 1, Christian Wolmar, “Rail Minister at the heart of rail reform”, in RAIL, number 1045, page 35:
      Few political careers start when people are in their 70s, but Hendy is actually relishing it, although he is incensed sometimes by the pointlessness of the posturing by the opposition, which keeps him up late. "The bit I don't like is getting home at 0100 or 0200 in the morning because the opposition have been fruitlessly arguing for a long time."
  3. (archaic, transitive) To incite, stimulate.
    Synonyms: provoke; see also Thesaurus:incite
  4. (transitive) To offer incense to.
    Synonym: fume
    • late 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Second Nun's Tale, The Canterbury Tales, line 410-413:
      And after this Almachius hastily
      Bad his ministres fecchen openly
      Cecile, so that she mighte in his presence
      Doon sacrifyce, and Iupiter encense.
      And after this, Almachius hastily
      Ordered his ministers to fetch publicly
      Cecile, so that she might in his presence
      Do sacrifice and burn incense to Jupiter.
  5. (transitive) To perfume with, or as with, incense.
    Synonyms: fume, musk; see also Thesaurus:odorize

Derived terms

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Translations

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Anagrams

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Galician

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Verb

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incense

  1. inflection of incensar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Latin

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Participle

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incēnse

  1. vocative masculine singular of incēnsus

References

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  • “incense”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • "incense", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • “incense”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • “incense”, in The Perseus Project (1999), Perseus Encyclopedia‎[1]
  • “incense”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers

Portuguese

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Verb

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incense

  1. inflection of incensar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative
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