spikenard
/ˈspaɪknɑː(ɹ)d/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.34 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A perfumed ointment, extracted from the plant Nardostachys jatamansi that belongs to the Valerian family and grows in the Himalayas.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof."
- "All subtle thought, all curious fears, Borne down by gladness so complete, She bows, she bathes the Saviour’s feet With costly spikenard and with tears."
- "The glories of Mary held his soul captive : spikenard and myrrh and frankincense, symbolising the preciousness of God's gifts to her soul, rich garments, symbolising her royal lineage, her emblems, the lateflowering plant and lateblossoming tree, symbolising the agelong gradual growth of her cultus among men."
- "A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices"
Etymology
From Middle English spikenard, spikenarde, from Anglo-Norman spicanarde, from Medieval Latin spīca nardī, from Latin spica (“spike”) + nardi (“nard”). Equivalent to spike + nard.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: spikenard, spicanarde, spīca nardī, -
Usage
Inflected Forms
Phrases
American spikenard
Arizona spikenard
bastard spikenard
cretan spikenard
false spikenard
Japanese spikenard
ploughman's spikenard
plowman's spikenard