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paxwax

American  
[paks-waks] / ˈpæksˌwæks /

noun

British Dialect.

  1. the neck ligament; nuchal ligament.

paxwax British  
/ ˈpæksˌwæks /

noun

  1. dialect  a strong ligament in the neck of many mammals, which supports the head

"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

Etymology

Origin of paxwax

1400–50; late Middle English, alteration of Middle English fax wax literally, hair growth (compare Old English feax hair, weaxan to grow; wax 2 ); compare German Haarwachs sinew, literally, hair growth

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.

Whitleather, hwit′leth-ėr, n. leather dressed with alum, white leather: the paxwax or nuchal ligament of the ox.

From Project Gutenberg

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.