Extreme Unction
Preserved but no longer current.
One of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, founded on James v, 14, "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the Church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Extreme Unction” mean?
One of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, founded on James v, 14, "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the Church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
Is “Extreme Unction” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.