cerumen

American  

[si-roo-muhn] / sɪˈru mən /

noun

1. earwax.

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cerumen British  

/ sɪˈruːmɛn /

noun

1. Nontechnical name: earwax.  the soft brownish-yellow wax secreted by glands in the auditory canal of the external ear

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Other Word Forms

• ceruminous adjective

Etymology

Origin of cerumen

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

Example Sentences

What stark chapters of oceanic history will these projects write in cetacean cerumen?

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.

From Seattle Times

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.

From Scientific American

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.

From New York Times

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