Unc'tion, n.

n. [Lat. unctio, from ungere, unctum, to anoint, O. Fr. unction, N. Fr. onction, Pr. unctio, onccio, Sp. uncion, It. unzione.] 1. The act of anointing, smearing, or rubbing with an unguent, oil, or ointment, especially for medical purposes, or as a symbol of consecration; as, mercurial unction. Of all things to be heir and king By sacred unction. Milton. 2. That which is used for anointing; unguent; ointment. The king himself the sacred unction made. Dryden. 3. Hence, any thing soothing or lenitive. [Rare.] Lay not that flattering unction to your soul, That not your trespass, but my madness, speaks. Shak. 4. Hence, that quality in language, address, or the like, which excites emotion, especially strong devotion; religious fervor and tenderness; sometimes simulated, factitious, or unnatural fervor. “The delightful equivoque and unction of the passage in Farquhar.” Hazlitt. Extreme unction (Rom. Cath. Church), the rite of anointing in the last hours; or the application of sacred oil to the head, the hands, and the feet, of a dying person.