Standard Lemma guide

hoplochrism

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: hŏpʹlōkrĭzm
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈhɒpləʊkɹɪzm/

1

noun

Meaning 1

The superstitious practice of applying a salve, ointment, or chrism to a weapon that has caused an injury — rather than to the injury itself — in the belief that doing so will heal the wound that the weapon caused; weapon salve.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical, rare, uncountable

Examples

  • For quotations using this term, see Citations:hoplochrism.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Formed as hoplo- (“weapon”) + chrism (“consecrated oil mingled with balm”, “unguent”); equivalent to the Ancient Greek ὅπλον (hóplon, “weapon”) + χρῖσμα (khrîsma, “salve”).