olibanum

Meaning

A gum resin from trees of the genus Boswellia, formerly used as a medicine and now mainly as incense.

Synonyms

frankincense

gum olibanum

thus

mastic gum

libanotus

libanus

mastiche

mastix

pistachia galls

gum mastic

incense

mastic

Translations

θυμίαμα

encens

Weihrauch

λιβάνι

incenso

olíbano

incienso

olibano

olíbano

bir çeşit buhur

günlük

encens

günnük

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɒˈlɪbənəm/

Etymology

Cognate with Ancient Hebrew: לְבוֹנָה

Cognate with Arabic: لبان

In summary

Borrowed from Medieval Latin olibanum, from Latin oleum libani, the first word meaning oil and the second from Ancient Greek λίβανος (líbanos, “frankincense (Boswellia sacra)”), from a Semitic source. See the Semitic root L-B-N لبن, meaning "white". Cognate with Biblical Hebrew לְבוֹנָה (l'voná, “frankincense”), Arabic لبان (lubān, “frankincense”). (Compare benzoin for a similar process of metanalysis.) Doublet of oliban.