waxy

¹

[ wak-see ]

adjective

, wax·i·er, wax·i·est.

1. resembling wax in appearance or characteristics:

   His face had a waxy shine.

2. abounding in, covered with, or made of wax:

   Be careful! The floor is waxy.

3. pliable, yielding, or impressionable:

   a waxy personality.

waxy

²

[ wak-see ]

adjective

, Chiefly British.

, wax·i·er, wax·i·est.

1. angry.

waxy

¹

/ ˈwæksɪ /

adjective

1. resembling wax in colour, appearance, or texture
2. made of, covered with, or abounding in wax

waxy

²

/ ˈwæksɪ /

adjective

1. informal.
   bad-tempered or irritable; angry

Derived Forms

• ˈwaxiness, noun
• ˈwaxily, adverb

Other Words From

• waxi·ly adverb
• waxi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of waxy¹

First recorded in 1545–55; wax ¹ + -y ¹

Origin of waxy²

First recorded in 1850–55; wax ³ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Some with long, green, waxy “strap” fronds appeared to direct rain water to the center of the clump.

From Science News For Students

Ferns with long, green, waxy “strap” fronds appeared to deflect water to the center of the aggregation, where disk-shaped, brown, spongey “nest” fronds could soak it up.

From Science News

Microbes in compost naturally produce this enzyme to decompose the waxy coating on leaves.

From Science News For Students

Brown also gauges the fruit’s weight in his hand and feels the waxy skin, with its bumps and ridges.

From Science News

Then they start chewing their way out of the waxy cells in which they have been growing.

From Science News For Students

A record would spend years in larval form as an acetate, the big waxy master from which copies were made.

From The Daily Beast

It begins with me being nudged awake by a waxy moon spilling silver-white light through the window as I sucked my thumb.

From The Daily Beast

The world of competitive bodybuilding, and Gov. Schwarzenegger, owed its waxy life to androgens.

From The Daily Beast

In addition to her waxy Prince William, Rubell will also show a new series of Drinking Paintings in London.

From The Daily Beast

The combination of strands of softly cooked skate flesh and slices of waxy potatoes is a deeply pleasing one.

From The Daily Beast

They are grayish or colorless, and have a dull waxy look, as if cut from paraffin (Figs. 43 and 61).

From Project Gutenberg

Waxy casts are found in most advanced cases of nephritis, where they are an unfavorable sign.

From Project Gutenberg

When boiled in water the root separates into fibres, and is rather waxy, but when laid in hot ashes it becomes mealy.

From Project Gutenberg

Waxy complexion, light blue eyes a little close together, thin nose, a prominent dimple on left cheek—may wear whiskers.

From Project Gutenberg

The kettle began it, full five minutes by the little waxy-faced Dutch clock in the corner, before the Cricket uttered a chirp.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• glistening
• lustrous