1. The process of applying and rubbing in an ointment.
2. The act of anointing, as in a religious ceremony.

[Middle English, anointing, from Latin inūnctiō, inūnctiōn-, from inūnctus, past participle of inunguere, to anoint : in-, on; see in-² + unguere, to smear.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.