oindre

Oindre is a French verb meaning to apply oil or ointment to a person or thing, especially as part of a ritual or blessing. In secular use, it can describe lubricating, coating, or preserving a surface with oil or ointment. In religious contexts, oindre denotes consecration or blessing by anointing with holy oil, a practice seen in rites of healing, ordination, and coronation.

Its etymology traces to Old French ounre or ounir, from Latin unguere “to smear with oil,” with the past participle unctus. The root is related to English terms such as unguent and unction, and the noun onction appears in older and liturgical language. The verb is part of the irregular -indre family in French, giving distinctive present-tense forms.

Conjugation and usage: In the present tense the forms are je oins, tu oins, il oint, nous oignons, vous oignez, ils oignent. The imperfect is regular: j'oignais, tu oignais, il oignait, nous oignions, vous oigniez, ils oignaient. The past participle is oint and, when used with the auxiliary avoir, is typically found in older or liturgical language. Example: Le prêtre oigne le front des fidèles during the rite; in English, The priest anoints the foreheads of the faithful during the rite.