anoint
/ə'nɔint/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To apply oil or ointment to a person or object, typically as part of a religious ritual or ceremony of consecration, blessing, or healing. This is the original and most specific meaning.
- To choose or designate someone for a particular role, office, or position, especially in a way that suggests divine favor, formal approval, or special honor. This is a figurative extension of the religious meaning.
Usage and Examples
- Verb (Religious/Physical Application):
- The priest will anoint the baby's forehead with holy oil during the baptism.
- In ancient times, healers would anoint wounds with herbal ointments.
- Verb (Figurative - To Choose Formally):
- The board of directors anointed her as the company's next CEO.
- He was anointed the party's candidate for the upcoming election.
Advanced Usage
- "to anoint someone with something": Specifies the substance used.
- The prophet anointed the king with sacred oil.
- "to anoint someone as something": Specifies the role or title being conferred.
- The movement anointed him as their spiritual leader.
- Passive Voice: Commonly used, especially in the figurative sense.
- The young pianist was anointed as the heir to the classical music throne.
Variants and Related Words
- Anointed (adjective or past participle): Formally chosen or consecrated.
- The anointed king addressed his people. (Here, "anointed" functions as an adjective describing the king.)
- Anointer (noun): A person who anoints.
- Anointment (noun): The act of anointing or the condition of being anointed.
- The anointment ceremony was solemn and beautiful.
Synonyms
- Consecrate: To make or declare something sacred. (More formal, religious)
- Bless: To confer divine favor. (Broader, less specific to oil)
- Ordain: To invest with ministerial or priestly authority. (Specific to religious office)
- Appoint: To assign a job or role to someone. (Neutral, secular)
- Crown: To ceremonially invest with royal power. (Specific to monarchy)
Phrasal Verbs / Common Collocations
- Anoint with: This is the standard construction for the physical act.
- Anoint the altar with oil.
- Anoint as: This is the standard construction for the figurative act of designation.
- Anoint a successor as the new leader.
Related Idioms
- The Lord's Anointed: A biblical term referring to a messiah or a king chosen by God. Used figuratively to refer to someone treated with great reverence or as if chosen by a higher power.
- He carried himself with the confidence of the Lord's anointed.
Verb
- administer an oil or ointment to; often in a religious ceremony of blessing
- choose by or as if by divine intervention
- She was anointed the head of the Christian fundamentalist group