Frankincense is a fragrant resin burnt as incense. Burn frankincense, gold and frankincense, the smell of frankincense.
It is the dried sap of a desert tree of Arabia and the Horn of Africa, tapped by cutting the bark and letting the resin harden into tears. It has been burnt in temples for four thousand years, and the trade in it built cities along the routes it travelled.
1nounfrankincenseA fragrant resin burnt as incense.
“The priest swung a burner, and the smoke of frankincense filled the church.”
frankincense is a resin.
Old French franc encens means noble or pure incense, from franc, free or high quality.
Old French
franc encens — noble incense
English, today
frankincense
From Old French franc encens (“noble incense”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA