unguent

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unguent

/ˈʌŋɡjuənt/
/ʌnd͡ʒ(u)ənt/ nonstandard
/ˈʌŋɡwənt/

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Latin unguentum (“ointment”), from unguō (“to smear with ointment”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃engʷ- (“to salve, anoint”). Cognates include Old Prussian anctan, Old High German ancho (German Anke (“butter”)), Welsh ymenyn (“butter”).

noun unguents · onguent

Any cream containing medicinal ingredients applied to the skin for therapeutic purposes. "Alas!" said Syntax, "could I pop / Just now, upon a blacksmith's shop, / Whose cooling unguents would avail / To save poor Grizzle's ears and tail!"

adjective onguent

not comparable Taking the form of a cream or ointment. In vials of ivory and coloured glass / Unstoppered, lurked her strange synthetic perfumes, / Unguent, powdered, or liquid— […]

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MLA

"unguent." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/unguent. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

unguent. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/unguent

Chicago

"unguent." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/unguent.

BibTeX

@misc{unguent_2026,
  title = {unguent},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/unguent},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}