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joss stick

noun

Definition of joss stick

: a slender stick of incense burned in front of a joss

Examples of joss stick in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 When eating, do not stick your chopsticks upright in your bowl of rice, because this is the symbol of two burning joss sticks used for funerals. — National Geographic, "See Hanoi like a Nat Geo Explorer," 26 Mar. 2019 It had been bisected by hundreds of joss sticks, which stuck out from the figure like the shafts of arrows; these were methodically lit after dinner during the performance by the artist and her assistants, who wielded blow torches. — Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, "Prune Nourry's "The Amazon" Arrives at the Standard Highline in New York," 22 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'joss stick.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of joss stick

1845, in the meaning defined above

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Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with joss stick

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