wax

¹

[waks]

noun

1. Also called beeswax. a solid, yellowish, nonglycerine substance allied to fats and oils, secreted by bees, plastic when warm and melting at about 145°F, variously employed in making candles, models, casts, ointments, etc., and used by bees in constructing their honeycomb.

2. any of various similar substances, as spermaceti or the secretions of certain insects and plants.

3. any of a group of substances composed of hydrocarbons, alcohols, fatty acids, and esters that are solid at ordinary temperatures.

4. earwax; cerumen.

5. a resinous substance used by shoemakers for rubbing thread.

6. sealing wax.

7. a person or object suggesting wax, as in manageability or malleability.

   I am helpless wax in your hands.

verb (used with object)

1. to rub, smear, stiffen, polish, etc., with wax.

   to wax the floor.

2. to fill the crevices of (ornamental marble) with colored material.

3. bikini wax.

4. Informal.,  to make a phonograph recording of.

5. Slang.,  to defeat decisively; drub.

   We waxed the competition.

adjective

1. pertaining to, made of, or resembling wax.

   a wax candle; a wax doll.

wax

²

[waks]

verb (used without object)

waxed, waxed , waxen, waxing .

1. to increase in extent, quantity, intensity, power, etc..

   Discord waxed at an alarming rate.

   Synonyms: dilate, enlarge, lengthen, grow, extend

2. (of the moon) to increase in the extent of its illuminated portion before the full moon.

3. to grow or become.

   He waxed angry at the insinuation.

wax

³

[waks]

noun

Chiefly British.

1. a fit of anger; rage.

wax

¹

/ wæks /

noun

1. any of various viscous or solid materials of natural origin: characteristically lustrous, insoluble in water, and having a low softening temperature, they consist largely of esters of fatty acids

2. any of various similar substances, such as paraffin wax or ozocerite, that have a mineral origin and consist largely of hydrocarbons

3. short for beeswax sealing wax

4. physiol another name for cerumen

5. a resinous preparation used by shoemakers to rub on thread

6. a mixture of wax, oil, and carbolic acid applied to the cut surface of a bone to prevent bleeding

7. any substance or object that is pliable or easily moulded

   he was wax in the hands of the political bosses

8. (modifier) made of or resembling wax

   a wax figure

9. the act or an instance of removing body hair by coating it with warm wax, applying a strip of fabric, and then removing the fabric sharply, thereby plucking the hairs out by their roots

verb

1. (tr) to coat, polish, etc, with wax

2. to remove (body hair) by means of a wax treatment

wax

²

/ wæks /

verb

1. to become larger, more powerful, etc

2. (of the moon) to show a gradually increasing portion of illuminated surface, between new moon and full moon Compare wane

3. archaic,  to become as specified

   the time waxed late

wax

³

/ wæks /

noun

1. informal,  a fit of rage or temper

   he's in a wax today

wax

1. Any of various solid, usually yellow substances that melt or soften easily when heated. They are similar to fats, but are less greasy and more brittle. Naturally occurring animal and plant waxes are esters of saturated fatty acids and alcohols of high molecular weight, including sterols. Waxes are also manufactured synthetically from petroleum, and are used to make polishers, lubricants, coatings, waterproofing, crayons, candles, and many other products.

Other Word Forms

• waxable adjective
• waxlike adjective
• waxer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wax¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun wax(e), wex(e), Old English weax, wex; cognate with Dutch was, German Wachs, Old Norse vax; the verb is derivative of the noun

Origin of wax²

First recorded before 900; Middle English waxen, wax(e), waxien, Old English weaxan, weacsan, weahsan; cognate with German wachsen; akin to waist

Origin of wax³

First recorded in 1850–55; perhaps special use of wax ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of wax¹

Old English weax, related to Old Saxon, Old High German wahs, Old Norse vax

Origin of wax²

Old English weaxan; related to Old Frisian waxa, Old Saxon, Old High German wahsan, Gothic wahsjan

Origin of wax³

of obscure origin; perhaps from the phrase to wax angry

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. whole ball of wax,

   1. the entire or overall plan, concept, action, result, or the like.

      The first ten minutes of the meeting will determine the whole ball of wax.

   2. everything of a similar or related nature.

      They sold us skis, boots, bindings, poles—the whole ball of wax.

More idioms and phrases containing wax

• whole ball of wax

Example Sentences

Swifties snapped up 1.2 million copies on wax - at least in part because the star released eight collectable variants of the record.

Read more on BBC

Not done waxing poetic about the eyes on the veritable Redford of retrievers, Leonberg also pointed out another benefit of his dog’s particular coloration.

Read more on Salon

How do you gauge the waxing and waning of paradise?

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Likewise the peak of the Taurids on 12 November, which only produces around 5 meteors an hour, will be affected by light pollution from a waxing gibbuous Moon with an illuminated surface of 84%.

Read more on BBC

Smart, subversive and funny, the album contains some painfully sharp observations on relationships and impossible beauty standards that had her "trying to wax my legs with tape" at the age of nine.

Read more on BBC