candelilla

American  

[kan-dl-ee-uh] / ˌkæn dlˈi ə /

noun

1. a shrub, Euphorbia antisyphilitica, of the southwestern United States and Mexico, that is the source of a wax candelilla wax having various commercial uses.

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Etymology

Origin of candelilla

First recorded in 1935–40; from Latin American Spanish, Spanish: literally, “small candle,” equivalent to candel(a) candle + -illa diminutive suffix

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

candelilla

If there is no two-way trade across the border -- candelilla in one direction, groceries in the other -- Lajitas will no longer be a trading post.

From Time Magazine Archive

The candelilla trade is declining, and if it fades away entirely, some of the legitimacy of the trading-post appellation will disappear too.

From Time Magazine Archive

Each year the storekeeper buys about 50 tons of candelilla, a wax derived from the candelilla plant, a spindly desert plant, and used in the manufacture of cosmetics.

From Time Magazine Archive

I dabbed candelilla wax on my lips from the small tin pot I had brought with us.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez

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