Definition of "spikenard"
noun
countable and uncountable, plural spikenards
A perfumed ointment, extracted from the plant Nardostachys jatamansi that belongs to the Valerian family and grows in the Himalayas.
Quotations
All subtle thought, all curious fears,Borne down by gladness so complete,She bows, she bathes the Saviour’s feetWith costly spikenard and with tears.
1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], Canto XXXII, page 51
The plant Nardostachys jatamansi (syn. Nardostachys grandiflora).
Quotations
A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], Song of Solomon 4:12-14