---
title: unction — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «unction» in the school dictionary: Unction is the act of anointing someone with holy oil as a sign of God's blessing, for example for the sick. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# unction

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Unction, act, God, way, you, priest · **What happens:** be, anoint, sign, bless, talk, mean · **To what, where:** act, someone, blessing, way, unction, dying man · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«unction» in the school dictionary: its 3 meanings for a pupil and its 6 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [unction in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/unction.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: church — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Unction is the act of anointing someone with holy oil as a sign of God's blessing, for example for the sick.

<!-- fold The tree, 22 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unction:m1:1
# text = Unction is the act of anointing someone with holy oil as a sign of God's blessing, for example for the sick.
1	Unction	unction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	act	act	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
5	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
6	anointing	anoint	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	acl	_	_
7	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	6	obj	_	_
8	with	with	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	holy	holy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	oil	oil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
11	as	as	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	sign	sign	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
14	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
15	God	God	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	17	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	's	's	PART	POS	_	15	case	_	_
17	blessing	blessing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	20	punct	_	_
19	for	for	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
20	example	example	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
21	for	for	ADP	IN	_	23	case	_	_
22	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	23	det	_	_
23	sick	sick	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	20	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
24	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Unction | the act |  |  |  | for example for the sick | tree rules |
| 2 | **anoint** | gerund | the act *not said here* |  | someone |  |  | with holy oil; as a sign of God's blessing | vn fill-9.8 «NP V NP PP.theme»: agent=Agent someone=Destination with oil=Theme |
| 3 | **sign** |  |  | God's blessing |  |  |  |  | nom sign «communication transitive»: of=patient |
| 4 | **bless** |  | God |  |  |  |  |  | nom blessing «act transitive»: poss=agent |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: formal, disapproving — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Unction is a way of talking that is too smooth, oily and falsely serious or polite.

<!-- fold The tree, 16 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unction:m2:1
# text = Unction is a way of talking that is too smooth, oily and falsely serious or polite.
1	Unction	unction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	way	way	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	parataxis	_	_
5	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
6	talking	talk	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	acl	_	_
7	that	that	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	6	obj	_	_
8	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
9	too	too	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	smooth	smooth	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
12	oily	oily	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	conj	_	_
13	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
14	falsely	falsely	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
15	serious	serious	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	conj	_	_
16	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	17	cc	_	_
17	polite	polite	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	10	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Unction | a way |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **talk** | gerund | a way *not said here* | a way |  |  |  |  | vn compel-59.1 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent that=Patient |
| 3 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | smooth *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **be** |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 5 | **be** |  |  |  |  |  |  | falsely *property* | tree rules |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
With unction means speaking with great warmth and feeling, as if you really enjoy what you are saying.

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unction:m3:1
# text = With unction means speaking with great warmth and feeling, as if you really enjoy what you are saying.
1	With	with	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	unction	unction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
3	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	speaking	speak	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	3	xcomp	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	warmth	warmth	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	feeling	feeling	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
11	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	15	mark	_	_
12	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	15	mark	_	_
13	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	15	nsubj	_	_
14	really	really	ADV	RB	_	15	advmod	_	_
15	enjoy	enjoy	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	_
16	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	19	obj	_	_
17	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	19	nsubj	_	_
18	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	19	aux	_	_
19	saying	say	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	15	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present |  |  |  |  |  | with unction | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **speak** *speech: other* *not said to happen* | gerund |  |  |  |  |  | with great warmth and feeling | vn talk-37.5 «NP V PP.co-agent»: agent=Agent with warmth=Co-Agent |
| 3 | **enjoy** *a condition, not said to happen* | present | you |  |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer |
| 4 | **say** *speech: assert* | present · progressive | you |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent what=Topic |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The priest gave unction to the dying man.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unction:x1:1
# text = The priest gave unction to the dying man.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	priest	priest	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	gave	give	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	unction	unction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	to	to	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	dying	die	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	8	amod	_	_
8	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | past | the priest | unction | the dying man |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent unction=Theme to man=Recipient |
| 2 | **die** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=Attribute |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Kings were anointed with holy oil, a kind of unction.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unction:x2:1
# text = Kings were anointed with holy oil, a kind of unction.
1	Kings	king	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	anointed	anoint	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	with	with	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	holy	holy	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	oil	oil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	kind	kind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	appos	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	unction	unction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **anoint** | past · passive |  | Kings |  |  |  | with holy oil | vn fill-9.8 «NP V NP PP.theme»: subject=Destination with oil=Theme |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He spoke with great unction about his own goodness.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unction:x3:1
# text = He spoke with great unction about his own goodness.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	spoke	speak	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	with	with	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	great	great	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	unction	unction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
6	about	about	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	9	nmod:poss	_	_
8	own	own	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	goodness	goodness	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **speak** *speech: other* | past | He |  |  |  |  | with great unction about his own goodness | vn talk-37.5 «NP V PP.co-agent»: agent=Agent with unction=Co-Agent |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The anointing of the sick was once called extreme unction.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unction:x4:1
# text = The anointing of the sick was once called extreme unction.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	anointing	anointing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	sick	sick	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	nmod	_	_
6	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	8	aux:pass	_	_
7	once	once	ADV	RB	NumForm=Word|NumType=Mult	8	advmod	_	_
8	called	call	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
9	extreme	extreme	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	unction	unction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **call** | past · passive |  | the anointing of the sick |  |  |  | once *property* | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: subject=Recipient |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The salesman's unction made us distrust him.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unction:x5:1
# text = The salesman's unction made us distrust him.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	salesman	salesman	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	unction	unction	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	made	make	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	us	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	5	obj	_	_
7	distrust	distrust	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	xcomp	_	_
8	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **make** | past | the salesman's unction | us |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **distrust** | infinitive | us *not said here* | unction |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer he=Stimulus |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Christians believe the oil is a sign of God's care.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:unction:x6:1
# text = Christians believe the oil is a sign of God's care.
1	Christians	Christian	PROPN	NNPS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	believe	believe	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	oil	oil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	sign	sign	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	ccomp	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	God	God	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	11	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	's	's	PART	POS	_	9	case	_	_
11	care	care	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **believe** | present | Christians |  |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **is a** | present | the oil | a sign |  |  |  | of God's care | tree rules |
| 3 | **care** |  | God |  |  |  |  |  | nom care «act intransitive»: poss=agent |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

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