Definition of "chrism" [chrism]

• Ecclesiastical A consecrated mixture of oil and balsam, used for anointing in church sacraments such as baptism and confirmation. Also called holy oil. (noun)
• Ecclesiastical A sacramental anointing, especially upon confirmation into the Eastern Orthodox Church. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The word cream is related to the word chrism, to anoint."
• "Likewise, the ancient lectionaries of Wurtzburg (mid-7th century, roughly contemporary with the first Ordo Romanus), and that of Murbach, (mid-8th to mid-9th century), refer to only one Mass, “in which the chrism is made.”"
• "In its primitive meaning the word chrism, like the Greek chrisma, was used to designate any and every substance that served the purpose of smearing or anointing, such as the various kinds of oils, unguents, and pigments."