incense
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incense
- /ˈɪnsɛn(t)s/
- /ɪnˈsɛns/
Rhymes with (verb) -ɛns
Where it comes from
From Middle English encens, from Old French encens (“sweet-smelling substance”) from Late Latin incensum (“burnt incense”, literally “something burnt”), neuter past participle of incendō (“to set on fire”). Compare incendiary. Doublet of incienso. Displaced native Old English rēcels.
noun incenses
- Biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt, often used in religious rites or for aesthetic reasons.
- The fragrant smoke released by burning incense (sense 1). When the folding-doors were on such solemn occasions thrown open, and the new Abbot appeared on the threshold in full-blown dignity, with ring and mitre, and dalmatique and crosier, his hoary standard-bearers and his juvenile dispensers of incense preceding him, and the venerable train of monks behi
- Homage; adulation.
verb incenses · incensing · incensed
-
To set on fire; to inflame; to kindle; to burn.
Twelve Trojan princes wait on thee, and labour to incense / Thy glorious heap of funeral.
Similar: inflame, aflame, alight, conflagrate, fire, fire up, ignite, enkindle, light, light up, set ablaze, set afire
-
To anger; to infuriate.
I think it would incense him to learn the truth.
Similar: inflame, affront, aggravate, anger, antagonize, awrath, burn up, cheese off, cross, embitter, envenom, gall
-
To incite; to stimulate.
Similar: provoke, abet, actuate, goose, fuel, light a fire under, send, sting, bring about, cheer, draw, drive
-
To offer incense to.
And after this Almachius hastily
Bad his ministres fecchen openly
Cecile, so that she mighte in his presence
Doon sacrifyce, and Iupiter encense.
And after this, Almachius hastily
Ordered his ministers to fetch publicly
Cecile, so that she might in his presence
Do sacrifice and burn incense to Jupit
Similar: fume
- To perfume with, or as with, incense. To haue her bound, incenſed with wanton ſweetes, / Her vaines fild hie with heating delicates, / […] / O Ithaca can chaſteſt Penelope hold out.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: thurify, cense, infuriate, exasperate, outrage, cigarette, burner, perfume, fragrant, fragrance, aroma, scent, smell, odor, enrage, burners
Translations
Every language
noun material burnt for fragrant smoke
| Español | incienso, sahumerio, sahúmo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 향 hyang |
| 日本語 | 薫香 kunkō, 香 kō |
| 中文 | 香 xiāng |
| हिन्दी | अगरबत्ती agarbattī, धूपबत्ती dhūpbattī |
| Kiswahili | ubani |
| Português | incenso |
| Français | encens |
| Deutsch | Weihrauch, Räuchwerk |
| Italiano | incenso, olibano |
| Ελληνικά | λιβάνι liváni |
| Română | tămâie |
| Русский | ла́дан ládan, фимиа́м fimiám, темья́н temʹján, кади́ло kadílo |
| Tiếng Việt | hương, nhang |
| العربية | بَخُور baḵūr, بُخُور buḵūr |
| עברית | קטורת, קְטֹרֶת któret |
verb anger, infuriate
| Español | enchilar, encolerizar, enfurecer, indignar |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | empören, erzürnen, aufbringen |
| Ελληνικά | εξοργίζω exorgízo |
| Русский | серди́ть serdítʹ, рассерди́ть rasserdítʹ, беси́ть besítʹ, взбеси́ть vzbesítʹ, разъяря́ть razʺjarjátʹ, разъяри́ть razʺjarítʹ |
verb transitive: to offer incense to / to perfume with, or as with, incense
| Español | incensar, sahumar, incensariar |
|---|---|
| עברית | הִקְטִיר hiqtír |
Talk about this word "incense." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/incense. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. incense. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/incense "incense." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/incense.Cite this
@misc{incense_2026,
title = {incense},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/incense},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
