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wax¹

(wăks)

a. Any of various natural, oily or greasy heat-sensitive substances, consisting of hydrocarbons or esters of fatty acids that are insoluble in water but soluble in nonpolar organic solvents.

b. Beeswax.

c. Earwax.

a. A solid plastic or pliable liquid substance, such as ozocerite or paraffin, originating from petroleum and found in rock layers and used in paper coating, as insulation, in crayons, and often in medicinal preparations.

b. A preparation containing wax used for polishing floors and other surfaces.

3. A resinous mixture used by shoemakers to rub on thread.

4. A cosmetic procedure in which facial or body hair is removed by peeling away a layer of wax that has been allowed to harden.

adj.

Made of wax: a wax candle.

tr.v. waxed, wax·ing, wax·es

1. To coat, treat, or polish with wax.

a. To remove (facial or body hair) by covering the skin with a layer of wax that is peeled off after hardening, uprooting the encased hairs.

b. To remove hair from (a portion of the body) by this method.

Idiom:

on wax

Informal In the medium of phonograph recordings.

[Middle English, from Old English weax.]

wax³

(wăks)

n.
Chiefly British

A fit of anger: "All at once you would suddenly find yourself reverting to childish attitudes, flaring up in a wax with some fellow" (Frank O'Connor).

[Perhaps from WAX² (as in archaic to wax angry, to grow angry).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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