beeswax

[beez-waks]

See more synonyms for beeswax on Thesaurus.com

noun

wax¹(def 1).

verb (used with object)

to rub or treat with beeswax.

Origin of beeswax

First recorded in 1670–80; bee¹ + 's¹ + wax¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for beeswax

Contemporary Examples

Odysseus ordered his men to stuff their ears with beeswax as they rowed by.
War Nostalgia Is Leading Veterans to Places Like Syria. One Went Missing There.
Elliot Ackerman
May 3, 2014
They introduced the lip balm, a combination of beeswax and sweet almond oil, in 1991.
Burt’s Bees Co-Founder Burt Shavitz on the Doc ‘Burt’s Buzz,’ and Losing Millions
Marlow Stern
September 11, 2013
You now really get the notion that what other people think of you is none of your beeswax.
The Stars Predict Your Week
Starsky + Cox
October 15, 2011
Nicole Ankowski just earned her MFA in Creative Writing and has been published in Beeswax literary journal.
Beyond Ryan Seacrest
Nicole Ankowski
December 28, 2008
(CBC) Nicole Ankowski just earned her MFA in Creative Writing and has been published in Beeswax literary journal.
What to Watch on TV This Week
Nicole Ankowski
December 7, 2008

Historical Examples

Besides skins, honey, and beeswax, eggs and poultry were always salable.
Plantation Sketches
Margaret Devereux
First melt the beeswax and rosin, being careful not to have the fire too hot.
Walnut Growing in Oregon
Various
This wax is made of equal parts of tallow, beeswax, and linseed oil.
Agriculture for Beginners
Charles William Burkett
She has beeswax and honey, and most valuable skins and furs.
The Continental Monthly , Vol. 2 No. 5, November 1862
Various
When the paper was removed the beeswax retained the marks of the lead pencil.
The Building of a Book
Various

British Dictionary definitions for beeswax

beeswax

noun

1. a yellowish or dark brown wax secreted by honeybees for constructing honeycombs
2. this wax after refining, purifying, etc, used in polishes, ointments, and for modelling

verb

(tr) to polish with such wax

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for beeswax

n.

1670s, from genitive of bee + wax. As a jocular alteration of business (usually in an injunction to someone to mind his own) attested from 1934 in Lower East Side slang as reproduced in Henry Roth's "Call It Sleep."

beeswax

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}beeswax

Examples from the Web for beeswax

Contemporary Examples

Odysseus ordered his men to stuff their ears with beeswax as they rowed by.

They introduced the lip balm, a combination of beeswax and sweet almond oil, in 1991.

You now really get the notion that what other people think of you is none of your beeswax.

Nicole Ankowski just earned her MFA in Creative Writing and has been published in Beeswax literary journal.

(CBC) Nicole Ankowski just earned her MFA in Creative Writing and has been published in Beeswax literary journal.

Historical Examples

Besides skins, honey, and beeswax, eggs and poultry were always salable.

First melt the beeswax and rosin, being careful not to have the fire too hot.

This wax is made of equal parts of tallow, beeswax, and linseed oil.

She has beeswax and honey, and most valuable skins and furs.

When the paper was removed the beeswax retained the marks of the lead pencil.

beeswax

Word Origin and History for beeswax

n.

Origin of beeswax