What does anele mean?
To anele is to anoint with oil — a verb that once carried profound religious weight. In its most solemn sense, aneling referred to the administration of extreme unction, the sacrament of holy oil given to those near death, making the word a fixture of medieval and early modern accounts of Christian ritual. More broadly, it could mean simply to smear or rub something with oil or ointment, whether a person's body or an everyday object such as leather or machinery. The word derives from Old English elan, meaning to smear or anoint, and is related to words for oil itself. Though now thoroughly archaic, anele survives in historical fiction, antiquarian prose, and discussions of liturgical practice, where its quiet gravity evokes a world of candlelit sickrooms and ancient rites. Its similarity to "anneal," a metallurgical term, makes careful reading worthwhile.
verbTo anoint with oil, especially to administer the sacrament of extreme unction (the last rites) to a dying person; more generally, to rub or smear with oil.
- To anoint with oil, especially as part of administering extreme unction or other religious rites.
- To rub, smear, or cover with oil or ointment.
"The priest aneled the dying man according to the rites of the old church."
"The old rite required that the priest anele the forehead, hands, and feet of the sick."
"In medieval households, servants would anele leather hinges and saddles with tallow and grease."
Before it faded from use, "anele" was the word for the most solemn act in a Christian's life — receiving holy oil on the deathbed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of anele
Anele comes from Old English elan, meaning to smear or anoint with oil, which itself traces back through Germanic roots to the same source as Latin oleum (oil) via Proto-Indo-European *loym-. The word has cognates across the Germanic languages and shares distant kinship with Romance terms built on oil and unction. It fell out of everyday English use after the medieval period, persisting longest in ecclesiastical contexts.
How anele is actually used
Anele is archaic and survives mainly in historical, literary, or ecclesiastical writing. Readers today encounter it chiefly in older texts describing religious ritual.
Easily confused with anele
"Anneal" means to heat and cool metal or glass slowly to strengthen it, whereas "anele" means to anoint or smear with oil.