spikenard

Noun

spikenard (countable and uncountable, plural spikenards)

1. A perfumed ointment, extracted from the plant Nardostachys jatamansi that belongs to the Valerian family and grows in the Himalayas.
   • While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Song of Solomon 1:12
   • All subtle thought, all curious fears,
     ⁠Borne down by gladness so complete,
     ⁠She bows, she bathes the Saviour’s feet
     With costly spikenard and with tears.1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXXII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 51
2. The plant Nardostachys jatamansi (syn. Nardostachys grandiflora).
   • A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Song of Solomon 4:12-14
3. Lavandula stoechas, another species used in antiquity to produce an aromatic oil.
4. Any plant of the genus Aralia of the Araliaceae family.

   Synonyms:

   spignet

5. False spikenard (Maianthemum racemosum, syn. Smilacina racemosa)
6. Ploughman's spikenard (Inula conyza, now Pentanema conyzae).
7. Wild spikenard (Asarum europaeum).