chrism
/ˈkɹɪz(ə)m/
"chrism" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“chrism” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A mixture of oil and balm, consecrated for use as an anointing fluid in certain Christian ceremonies, especially confirmation.
Corpus desk
Index EN-chrism · chrism · English
chrism · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-1 1 vowel
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "C" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | chrism |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkɹɪz(ə)m/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “chrism” in English
Rare enough to double-check
chrism is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɹɪz(ə)m/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A mixture of oil and balm, consecrated for use as an anointing fluid in certain Christian ceremonies, especially confirmation.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for chrism, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English crisme, from Late Old English crisma, from Medieval Latin crisma, from Ecclesiastical Latin chrisma, from Ancient Greek χρῖσμα (khrîsma, “anointing”, “unction”), from χρίω (khríō, “anoint”). The correct English form is chrism, spelled C-H-R-I-S-M.
Definition
- 1A mixture of oil and balm, consecrated for use as an anointing fluid in certain Christian ceremonies, especially confirmation.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how chrism appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
A reinforcement of fresh troops staggered in, one man soaked and dripping, his hair sticky with the chrism of poured beer, another with his pockets crammed with sauce-bottles.
I observe no confirmation of this reversal and Pole specifically restored chrisms in 1555 (Cardwell, op. cit. i. 147).
Etymology
From Middle English crisme, from Late Old English crisma, from Medieval Latin crisma, from Ecclesiastical Latin chrisma, from Ancient Greek χρῖσμα (khrîsma, “anointing”, “unction”), from χρίω (khríō, “anoint”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.