Dictionary

olibanum en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ɒˈlɪbənəm/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

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, compare Proto-Semitic *laban- (“white”). Cognate with Biblical Hebrew לְבוֹנָה (l'voná, “frankincense”), Arabic لبان (lubān, “frankincense”). (Compare benzoin for a similar process of metanalysis.) Doublet of oliban.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) A gum resin from trees of the genus Boswellia, formerly used as a medicine and now mainly as incense.
   • Among the Turks, an exciting compound consists of olibanum, myrrh, camphor, musk, in pulverized form. The resultant perfume is said to affect the genitals. 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 168:
   • Aromatics were used, too, especially in necromancy, and an old recipe of that sort comprises Musk, Myrrh, Frankincense, Red Storax, Mastick, Olibanum, Saffron, Benzoin and Labdanum. 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 112:

Forms

Deriveds

olibene

Synonyms

frankincense