Hypertext Webster Gateway: "spikenard"
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary (easton)
Spikenard
(Heb. nerd), a much-valued perfume (Cant. 1:12; 4:13, 14). It
was "very precious", i.e., very costly (Mark 14:3; John 12:3,5).
It is the root of an Indian plant, the Nardostachys jatamansi,
of the family of Valeriance, growing on the Himalaya mountains.
It is distinguished by its having many hairy spikes shooting out
from one root. It is called by the Arabs sunbul Hindi, "the
Indian spike." In the New Testament this word is the rendering
of the Greek nardos pistike. The margin of the Revised Version
in these passages has "pistic nard," pistic being perhaps a
local name. Some take it to mean genuine, and others liquid. The
most probable opinion is that the word pistike designates the
nard as genuine or faithfully prepared.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Spikenard \Spike"nard\, n.[For spiked nard; cf. G. spieknarde,
NL. spica nardi. See {Spike} an ear, and {Nard}.]
1. (Bot.) An aromatic plant. In the United States it is the
{Aralia racemosa}, often called {spignet}, and used as a
medicine. The spikenard of the ancients is the
{Nardostachys Jatamansi}, a native of the Himalayan
region. From its blackish roots a perfume for the hair is
still prepared in India.
2. A fragrant essential oil, as that from the {Nardostachys
Jatamansi}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
spikenard
n : an aromatic ointment used in antiquity [syn: {nard}]
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