Word of the Day: frankincense

0
618
Word of the Day: frankincense

The word frankincense has appeared in six articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Nov. 17 in “In Oman, Frankincense Still Tops Gift Lists” by David Belcher:

Frankincense has a long history in gift giving, all the way back to the pharaohs of Egypt, Alexander the Great and at least one of those three wise men at the manger. Today, Muslims commonly exchange chunks of the resin at Ramadan meals breaking the daily fast, and its sweet and musky fragrance permeates many Middle Eastern homes.

By many estimations, the southwest coast of Oman offers the best frankincense on earth. The sap from the native boswellia is tapped just before the summer monsoons, which many say they believe then allows the trees to absorb and retain moisture for another year. The number of trees has been dwindling worldwide, so the Land of Frankincense, a UNESCO World Heritage Site covering about 2,100 acres in Oman, is under protection.

Can you correctly use the word frankincense in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

If you want a better idea of how frankincense can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com. You can also visit this guide to learn how to use IPA symbols to show how different words are pronounced.

If you enjoy this daily challenge, try our vocabulary quizzes.


Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.

The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.