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cerumen

[ si-roo-muhn ]

noun



cerumen

/ sɪˈruːmɛn /

noun

  1. the soft brownish-yellow wax secreted by glands in the auditory canal of the external ear Nontechnical nameearwax
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ceˈruminous, adjective
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Other Words From

  • ce·rumi·nous adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of cerumen1

1735–45; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin cēr ( a ) wax + ( alb ) umen albumen
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Word History and Origins

Origin of cerumen1

C18: from New Latin, from Latin cēra wax + albumen
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Example Sentences

Shell's plans to explore for oil off of South Africa's eastern shore, near a region known as the Wild Coast, threatened to etch in the cerumen of so many whales a dark new chapter.

From Salon

Earwax — which is not really wax at all, but a substance called cerumen that binds with dirt, dust and debris — is normally produced by the body as a way to clean and protect the ears.

Earwax—which is not really wax at all, but a substance called cerumen that binds with dirt, dust and debris—is normally produced by the body as a way to clean and protect the ears.

A. The yellow stuff in the outer part of the ear canal, scientifically named cerumen, is only partly a waxy substance, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

The yellow-orange substance—technically known as cerumen—protects the skin in the ear canal by lubricating it and preventing it from filling up with water.

From Time

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