Frankincense

frank'in-sens, an aromatic gum. The syllable frank means free from impurity, hence pure. The frankincense of antiquity was obtained from various gum-producing plants, especially a certain tree found in eastern Africa and southern Arabia. It was akin to myrrh and balm of Gilead, and was much used in swinging censers in religious observances. Modern imitations are made from the gum which collects on the trunks of the turpentine pine of the Southern States. See Perfume