waxwork

[waks-wurk]

noun

1. a figure, ornament, or other object made of wax, or especially the life-size effigy of a person.

2. the bittersweet, Celastrus scandens.

waxwork

/ ˈwæksˌwɜːk /

noun

1. an object reproduced in wax, esp as an ornament

2. a life-size lifelike figure, esp of a famous person, reproduced in wax

3. (plural; functioning as singular or plural) a museum or exhibition of wax figures or objects

Other Word Forms

• waxworker noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of waxwork¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; wax ¹ + work

Example Sentences

When you walk through a crowd of strangers it’s next door to impossible not to imagine that they’re all waxworks, but probably they’re thinking just the same about you.

Read more on Salon

The infamous “waxworks” scene captures silent-era figures like Buster Keaton playing cards, their faces pure funereal alabaster.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A waxwork figure of French President Emmanuel Macron has been stolen from a museum in Paris by environmental activists who disguised themselves as employees.

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A sculpture of a Greggs sausage roll is to be unveiled at Madame Tussauds waxworks museum.

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She was also the first female footballer to have a waxwork figure made at Madame Tussauds, winning a public vote.

Read more on BBC