English

Etymology 1

, from *waxsan, from . Cognate with Dutch , German , Norwegian ; and with Lithuanian , Russian

Noun

1. Beeswax.
2. Earwax.
3. Any oily, water-resistant substance; normally long-chain hydrocarbons, alcohols or esters.
4. Any preparation containing wax, used as a polish.
5. A phonograph record.

Synonyms

beeswax cerumen , earwax polish disc/disk, record

Verb

1. To apply wax to (something, such as a shoe, a floor, a car or an apple), usually to make it shiny.
2. To remove hair at the roots from (a part of the body) by coating the skin with a film of wax that is then pulled away sharply.

Etymology 2

, from *waxsan, from . Cognate with Old Norse (Danish (spelling before the writing reform of 1948: ), Norwegian , Swedish ), German , Dutch , Gothic ; and with Ancient Greek , Latin auxilium. It is in its turn cognate with augeo. See eke.

Verb

1. To increasingly assume the specified characteristic.

   to wax lyrical; to wax eloquent

2. }
3. To grow.
   • 1602, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, act 1, sc. 3, lines 11-14,

     For nature, crescent, does not grow alone / In thews and bulks, but, as this temple waxes, / The inward service of the mind and soul / Grows wide withal.

4. To appear larger each night as a progression from a new moon to a full moon.

Usage notes

• Older forms of the verb are waxeth and waxen .

Related terms

• forthwax
• forwax

• packwax, paxwax, paxwaxy
• taxwax
• woadwaxen, woad-waxen, wood-wax, wood-waxen, woodwax, woodwaxen