| Gehenna | prop. n. [ L. Gehenna, Gr. Ge`enna, Heb. Gē Hinnōm. ] (Jewish Hist.) The valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem, where some of the Israelites sacrificed their children to Moloch, which, on this account, was afterward regarded as a place of abomination, and made a receptacle for all the refuse of the city, perpetual fires being kept up in order to prevent pestilential effluvia. In the New Testament the name is transferred, by an easy metaphor, to Hell. [ 1913 Webster ] The pleasant valley of Hinnom. Tophet thence
And black Gehenna called, the type of Hell. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ] |
| Henna | n. [ Ar. hinnā alcanna (Lawsonia inermis syn. Lawsonia alba). Cf. Alcanna, Alkanet, Orchanet. ] [ 1913 Webster ] 1. (Bot.) A thorny tree or shrub of the genus Lawsonia (Lawsonia alba). The fragrant white blossoms are used by the Buddhists in religious ceremonies. The powdered leaves furnish a red coloring matter used in the East to stain the nails and fingers, the manes of horses, etc. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. (Com.) The leaves of the henna plant, or a preparation or dyestuff made from them. [ 1913 Webster ] |
