spikenard
English edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English spikenard, spikenarde, from Anglo-Norman spicanarde, from Medieval Latin spīca nardī, from Latin spica (“spike”) + nardi (“nard”). Equivalent to spike + nard.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
spikenard (countable and uncountable, plural spikenards)
- A perfumed ointment, extracted from the plant Nardostachys jatamansi that belongs to the Valerian family and grows in the Himalayas.[2]
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Song of Solomon 1:12:
- While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.
- 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto XXXII, page 51:
- 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.
- 1916, James Joyce, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man:
- 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.
- The plant Nardostachys jatamansi (syn. Nardostachys grandiflora).
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Song of Solomon 4:12-14:
- 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
- Lavandula stoechas, another species used in antiquity to produce an aromatic oil.
- Any plant of the genus Aralia of the Araliaceae family.
- False spikenard (Maianthemum racemosum, syn. Smilacina racemosa)
- Ploughman's spikenard (Inula conyza, now Pentanema conyzae).
- Wild spikenard (Asarum europaeum).
Derived terms edit
- American spikenard (Aralia racemosa)
- Arizona spikenard (Aralia humilis)
- bastard spikenard (Nardus stricta)
- cretan spikenard, Cretan spikenard (Valeriana phu)
- false spikenard (Maianthemum racemosum)
- Japanese spikenard (Aralia cordata)
- ploughman's spikenard, plowman's spikenard (Inula conyza, now Pentanema conyzae)
- small spikenard (Aralia racemosa)
- wild spikenard (Asarum europaeum)
Translations edit
perfumed ointment
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The plant Nardostachys jatamansi
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Lavandula stoechas
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Maianthemum racemosum
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Inula conyza
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Asarum europaeum
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Further reading edit
References edit
- ^ Jespersen, Otto (1909) A Modern English Grammar on Historical Principles (Sammlung germanischer Elementar- und Handbücher; 9)[1], volume I: Sounds and Spellings, London: George Allen & Unwin, published 1961, § 4.35, page 124.
- ^ “spikenard”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Anagrams edit
Middle English edit
Alternative forms edit
- spicenarde, spiconarde, spikenarde, spiknarde, spycanard, spyconard, spykanard, spykenard, spykenarde, spykynard
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Anglo-Norman spicanarde, from Medieval Latin spīca nardī.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
spikenard (uncountable)
- Nard (Nardostachys jatamansi) or a similar plant.
- Synonym: narde
Descendants edit
- English: spikenard
References edit
- “spīkenard, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.