carnauba
Americannoun
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a palm, Copernicia prunifera, of Brazil, having palmate leaves covered with wax.
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Also called carnauba wax. the hard, lustrous wax obtained from the leaves of this tree, used as a polish or floor wax.
noun
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Also called: wax palm. a Brazilian fan palm, Copernicia cerifera
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Also called: carnauba wax. the wax obtained from the young leaves of this tree, used esp as a polish
Etymology
Origin of carnauba
1850–55; < Brazilian Portuguese < Tupi karanaʾiwa
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Workers in Brazil's poor north-eastern state of Piauí rely on harvesting wax from carnauba palm trees to earn a living.
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2024
Standard American chocolate sprinkles have almost no chocolate, and are coated with carnauba wax, harvested from leaves of Brazilian carnauba palms.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 12, 2023
According to a now-archived blog post by the university, after an hour, "all that remained in the beaker was a pair of brown carnauba wax eyes floating in a purple Phenol soup."
From Salon ● Feb. 2, 2023
Their blended wax, according to the brand, includes beeswax, paraffin and carnauba.
From New York Times ● Jan. 12, 2022
E. Schunck made an investigation many years ago into the character of the impurities, and found them to consist of the following substances:— Cotton Wax.—This substance bears a close resemblance to carnauba wax.
From The Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics A Practical Handbook for the Dyer and Student by Beech, Franklin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
