Forms: 45 vnccioun, 56 vnccion (5 -ione, 6 -yon); 5 unxioun; 56 uncion (5 ovncion); 5 unctioun, 67 vnction (6 vun-), 6 unction. [ad. L. unctiōn-, unctio, noun of action f. unct-, ung(u)ĕre: see UNCT v. So F. onction (12th c.), It. unzione, Sp. uncion, Pg. unção.]
1. The action of anointing with oil as a religious rite or symbol; occas. ellipt. = b.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), I. 113. Seynt Austyn clepeþ it [sc. Mount Olivet] þe hulle of crisma and of vnccioun.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), iii. 10. Þai make bot ane vnccioun, when þai christen childer.
c. 1430. Lydg., Min. Poems (Percy Soc.), 253. The booly unctioun. shrift, hosyl, repentaunce.
a. 1500[?]. Chester Pl., VIII. 289. Then both vnctions, sacrafices, and rites Ceremoniall Of the old Testament shall vtterly cease.
1560. Daus, trans. Sleidanes Comm., 24. Then [he] treateth also of the other foure [sacraments], confirmation, order, matrimonye and Unction.
1697. J. Potter, Antiq. Greece, II. ii. (1715), 196. The Act of Consecration chiefly consisted in the Unction, which was a ceremony derived from the most primitive Antiquity.
1745. Butler, Lives Saints (1821), XI. 169. The ancient councils order them [sc. altars] to be consecrated by the unction of chrism, and the blessing of priests.
176874. Tucker, Lt. Nat. (1834), II. 414. The primitive fathers practised exorcisms, unctions, signatures of the cross, and lustrations by holy water.
1856. R. A. Vaughan, Mystics (1860), I. 94. The three sacrament,Baptism, the Eucharist, and Unction.
1879. R. T. Smith, Basil Gt., x. 121. We bless both the water of baptism and the oil of unction.
personif. c. 1425. Lydg., Assembly of Gods, 1444. Then came to the fylde the mynystre fynall, Called Holy Vnccion, with a crysmatory.
b. Extreme unction: see EXTREME a. 3.
1513. Life Henry V. (1911), 182. After he had receaued the Sacraments of the Alter, and of extreame vunction.
1558. Bp. Watson, Sev. Sacram., xxx. 193. To remoue these twoo euils, God hath ordeyned this Sacrament of extreme Unction to bee ministred.
1579. [see EXTREME a. 3].
1602. J. Colville, Parænese, u j. Dispysing the Sacrament of the altar, Celibat and extrem Vnction as many do nou a dayis.
1663. Dryden, Rival Ladies, V. ii. Tis like giving the extream Unction in the beginning of a Sickness.
1734. in Cath. Rec. Soc. Publ. (1914), XIV. 122. Her last Sickness only left time for ye Extrem unction.
1783. W. Thomson, Watsons Philip III. (1839), 373. The blessed sacrament was administered to him about midnight. He received the extreme unction at two oclock in the morning.
1871. Miss Mulock, Fair France, vii. 218. He told us a woman lay dying, and the priest was administering extreme unction.
2. The action of anointing as a symbol of investing with a certain office, esp. that of kingship.
c. 1400. Three Kings Cologne (1886), 32. Þe Iwes seyden þat longe tyme aftir þe Natiuite of crist her vnccioun cesyd noȝt, but þey had many kyngis aftir.
a. 1500. Cov. Corpus Christi Pl., ii. 204. Of that kyng that I ma haue a syght, At whose cumyng the tru ovncion of Juda schall seyse.
1626. DEwes, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., Ser. I. III. 218. The Archbishop performed the unction, which I doubted hee should not.
1690. Boyle, Chr. Virtuoso, II. 30. The Heavenly Coronation has a Virtue like that of the Unction of Saul.
1757. Burke, Abridgm. Eng. Hist., Wks. X. 430. He proceeded to London to be crowned, and to sanctify by the solemnity of the unction the choice of the people.
1761. Hume, Hist. Eng. (1762), I. ii. 53. A report being spread of the kings deat, the pope, Leo III. gave Alfred the royal unction; whether prognosticating his future greatness from the appearances of his pregnant genius, or willing to pretend, even in that age, to the right of conferring kingdoms.
1845. Sarah Austin, Rankes Hist. Ref., I. 19. Otho could receive the unction without scruple.
1869. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1875), III. xi. 41. The hands of Stigand might not administer an unction which was held to confer somewhat of sacramental grace.
3. fig. A spiritual influence acting upon a person. Chiefly in renderings and echoes of 1 John ii. 20 and of the hymn Veni Creator spiritus, 8.
1382. Wyclif, 1 John ii. 20. But ȝe han vnccioun of the Holy Goost, and han knowe alle thinges.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 154. They can not leaue & forsake the delectable wyne of contemplacyon & swete vnccyon of oyle of the holy goost.
1549. (Mar.) Bk. Com. Prayer, Order. Priests. Thou art the very comforter and Unction spirituall.
1597. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., V. lv. § 6. There is no other way how it should grow but either by the grace of vnion with deitie, or by the grace of vnction receiued from deitie.
1627. Cosin, Veni Creator. Thou the anointing Spirit art; Thy blessed vnction from aboue Is comfort, life, and fire of loue.
1663. Bp. Patrick, Parab. Pilgr., xxxvi. When he felt those distillations on his head, he could think of nothing else but the Vnction from above.
1693. Dryden, Creator Spirit, ii. Come, and thy Sacred Unction bring To Sanctifie us, while we sing!
1763. J. Payne, trans. Imit. Christ, III. xix. 214. Give me, instead of all worldly comfort, the Divine Unction of Thy Holy Spirit.
1858. Neale, Bernard de M. (1865), 26. The mention of thy glory Is unction to the breast.
1869. Freeman, Norm. Conq., III. xi. 46. So now the oil poured on the head of Gods servant might be a true sign of the inner unction of the heart.
b. Deep spiritual feeling, or the manifestation of this in language and utterance; a manner suggestive of religious earnestness or appreciation of spiritual things.
In later use freq. in depreciative sense, implying that the feeling or manner is superficial or assumed, or is tinged with obvious self-complacency.
1692. Burnet, Past. Care, Pref. p. xxxiv. I began my Studies in Divinity with reading these, and I never yet gtew weary of them; they carry so much of unction and life in them, that [etc.].
1817. Lady Morgan, France (1818), I. 85. The peasantry were seen chaunting the office with as much faith and unction as if they had been paid.
1830. Coleridge, Table-t., 1 June. There is a great decay of devotional unction in the numerous books of prayers put out now-a-days.
1870. Lowell, Among my Bks., 235. That clerical unction which in a vulgar nature so easily degenerates into greasiness.
c. transf. A manner of utterance or address showing real appreciation or enjoyment of the subject or situation.
1815. Scott, Guy M., xvi. I have heard you too often describe the scene with comic unction.
1849. C. Brontë, Shirley, vi. He delivered the haughty speech of Caius Marcius to the starving citizens with unction.
1886. Pall Mall G., 7 Dec., 4/2. Is an actor subject to dismissal because he does not throw enough unction into his part?
4. The action of anointing or rubbing with an ointment or oil as a lubricating or preserving substance.
1580. Hester, trans. Fioravantis Disc. Chirurg., 21. The first thing is to euacuate the stomacke, the second to sweate, the thirde vnccion.
1605. B. Jonson, Volpone, II. i. Applying onely a warme napkin to the place, after the vnction and fricace.
1632. Lithgow, Trav. (1906), 235. We saw the place of Unction, which is a foure squared stone; on which (say they) the dead body of our Saviour lay, and was embalmed.
1726. Pope, Odyss., XIX. 590. The bath renewd, she ends the pleasing toil With plenteous unction of ambrosial oil.
1740. Johnson, Life Drake, Wks. IV. 425 In hot countries, the natives only use unction to preserve them from the other extreme of weather.
1887. D. Maguire, Art Massage, iii. (ed. 4), 39. Unction does not properly speaking, form part of the manipulations classified amongst frictions.
5. Any soft composition used for anointing or lubricating; an unguent or ointment.
1580. Hester, trans. Fioravantis Disc. Chirurg., 26 b. Glisters, Vomittes, Purgations, and Vnctions; the vnctions dissolue the winde.
1602. Shaks., Ham., IV. vii. 142. I bought an Vnction of a Mountebanke.
1631. Mabbe, Celestina, VI. 78. Clothing them [sc. their faces] with diuers colourings, glissenings, paintings, vnctions, oyntments.
1760. R. James, Canine Madness, 132. He must get a considerable quantity of the unction rubbed into the arm-pits.
1860. Froude, Hist. Eng., VI. 101. The next day, Arras having sent the necessary unction, the ceremony was performed at the Abbey.
1884. F. J. Britten, Watch & Clockm., 202. The unction or paste obtained by rubbing two blue stones together.
fig. 1657. Trapp, Comm. Esther ii. 12. Let women learn and labour to smell of Christ, who is the royal Unction.
b. fig. A soothing influence or reflection.
1602. Shaks., Ham., III. iv. 145. Lay not a flattering Vnction to your soule, That not your trespasse, but my madnesse speakes.
1836. Hor. Smith, Tin Trump., I. 7. The stings of conscience would be intolerable, could we not lay some flattering unction to our souls.
1877. Farrar, Days of Youth, 108. Think not to lay to your diseased conscience the flattering unction that your sin was the result of circumstance.