Definition

1. Verb:
   • To perfume or fumigate with the smoke of burning incense, typically using a censer (a container in which incense is burned).

Usage

• The verb "cense" describes the specific action of burning incense to produce fragrant smoke, often as part of a religious or ceremonial ritual.
• It is a transitive verb, requiring a direct object (e.g., to cense an altar, to cense a room).

Examples

• Verb:
  • The priest will cense the altar before the ceremony begins.
  • During the meditation session, they cense the hall with sandalwood.

Advanced Usage

• "to cense something": To purify, honor, or sanctify a space or object with incense smoke.
  • In many traditions, it is customary to cense the icons.
• The act of censing is often associated with rites of blessing, prayer, or creating a solemn atmosphere.

Variants and Related Words

• Censer (n): A container in which incense is burned, often swung on chains during a censing ritual.
  • The altar server carried the censer.
• Incense (n): A substance that produces a fragrant smoke when burned.
  • The smell of frankincense filled the air.
• Incense (v): To perfume with incense; can be synonymous with "cense" but is more common in modern usage.
  • They incensed the temple.

Synonyms

• Perfume (with incense smoke)
• Fumigate (specifically with fragrant smoke)
• Thurify (a more formal, less common synonym specifically meaning to cense)

Related Phrases

• To swing a censer: The physical action often performed while censing.
  • The deacon swung the censer slowly.

Verb

1. perfume especially with a censer