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Glite Dictionary
gum olibanum

gum olibanum

9.9
A fragrant resin from trees burned as incense in religious ceremonies
  • noun
  • /ɡʌm ˌoʊlɪˈbænəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : goma de olíbano
  • He burned gum olibanum as incense during the ceremony.

Examples

  • The ancient Egyptians prized gum olibanum for use in their religious rituals.

  • Traders transported gum olibanum across the Arabian Peninsula in caravans.

  • The gum olibanum was used in ancient rituals.

  • Can you smell the gum olibanum in the air?

  • He burned gum olibanum as incense during the ceremony.

  • The ancient Egyptians prized gum olibanum for use in their religious rituals.

  • Traders transported gum olibanum across the Arabian Peninsula in caravans.

Synonyms

frankincense
vsgum olibanum
8 9.6

Sticky gum from trees with a strong scent used as incense

emphasizes historical use in ceremonies, embalming, and fumigation rather than perfumery
thus
vsgum olibanum
  • Archaic
9.9

A strong smelling gum from trees burned in religious ceremonies

is the descriptive label for that resin, stressing ritual and fumigation uses
olibanum
vsgum olibanum
9.9

A sticky gum from certain trees that smells pleasant when burned and people use for incense and perfume

is broader, highlighting ritual, embalming, and fumigation uses beyond perfumery

Surface Forms

gum olibanum singular
gum olibanums plural

Morphology

gum + olibanum

Both constituents directly refer to a resinous substance: 'gum' (a sticky resin) and 'olibanum' (a resin used in incense), so 'gum olibanum' straightforwardly denotes the gum/resin of olibanum. This is a regular noun–noun compositional pattern common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Gum olibanum is named for the sticky, milky sap people collect from certain trees; gum means the resin and olibanum may come from an Arabic word for 'milk' because the drops look white. People burned this resin as 'incense' in ceremonies and to make rooms smell nice, so today the name means the aromatic substance used in those 'rituals'.