Forms: 4 franke ensens, 5 frank encens, -ensence, -ynsens, 6 frankenscence, -insence, (6–7 fran(c)kumsence), 6– frankincense. [a. OF. franc encens: see FRANK a.2 and INCENSE. The special meaning of the adj. in this combination seems to be ‘of high quality’: see FRANK a.2 5.]
1. An aromatic gum resin, yielded by trees of the genus Boswellia, used for burning as incense; olibanum; occas. the smoke from the same.
a. 1387. Sinon. Barthol. (Anecd. Oxon.), 42. Thus album, i. olibanum, franke ensens.
c. 1450. Cov. Myst. (Shaks. Soc.), 8.
| Kynges iij., | |
| With gold, myrre, and ffrankynsens. |
c. 1475[?]. Sqr. lowe Degre, 847.
| With longe-peper fayre burnning, | |
| And cloves that be swete smellyng, | |
| Frankensence, and olibanum, | |
| That when ye slepe the taste may come. |
1552. Latimer, Serm. Gosp., vi. 188. Franckumsence to signify his priesthoode.
1645. Fuller, Good Th. in Bad T. (1841), 50. Being a man, he conquered the country of Judæa (the fountain whence such spices did flow), and sent Leonidas a present of five hundred talents’ weight of frankincense, to show him how his former prodigality made him thrive the better in success, and to advise him to be no more niggardly in divine service.
1718. Prior, Pleasure, 903.
| With the Chaldean’s Charms her Rites prevail; | |
| And curling Frankincense ascends to Baal. |
1834. Lytton, Pompeii, IV. iii. From tripods, placed in different parts of the room, distilled the odour of myrrh and frankincense.
2. Resin resembling this, obtained from firs or pines. Also, the tree itself.
1577. Harrison, England, II. xxii. (1877), I. 342. The firre, frankincense, and pine we doo not altogither want.
1620. J. Mason, Brief Disc. Newfoundland, B iij. Projects for making Yron, Salt, Pitch, Tarre, Tirpintine, Frank-Incense, Furres, Hope of trade with Saluages and such like.
1866. Treas. Bot., Frankincense … European. A resinous exudation of the spruce fir. The name is also applied to Pinus Tæda.
3. attrib. as frankincense-pine, -tree.
1611. Bible, Ecclus. l. 8. As the branches of the frankincense tree in the time of summer.
1671. Salmon, Syn. Med., III. xxii. 436. Frankincense tree.
c. 1865. Letheby, in Circ. Sc., I. 106/1. The Frankincense pine of Virginia (Pinus tæda).
Hence Frankincensed a., perfumed with frankincense.
1860. Ruskin, Mod. Paint., V. IX. i. § 14. 204. No other book, nor fragment of book, than that, will you ever find;—no velvet bound missal, nor frankincensed manuscript;—nothing hieroglyphic nor cuneiform; papyrus and pyramid are alike silent on this matter;—nothing in the clouds above, nor in the earth beneath.
