Incense

Incense burner

Description

Any plant exudation (gum, oil, or resin) that produces a pleasant smell when burned. In general, incense resins are obtained from incense trees like Boswellia carteri (frankincense), Commiphora myrrha (myrrh), or any of the genus Protium. Other examples include: gum benzoin, camphor, cedar, copal, cypress, juniper, labdanum, nutmeg, sage, sandalwood, and storax. See also essential oil.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Weihrauch (Deut.); incienso (Esp.); encens (Fr.); wierook (Ned.); kadzidùo (Pol.); rökelse (Sven.); incenso (It)

Authority

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "incense" Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. [Accessed 25 Jan. 2006].

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incense (Accessed Feb. 2, 2006)