wax

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wax 1

 (wăks)
n.
1.
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.
2.
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.
2.
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.]

wax 2

 (wăks)
intr.v. waxed, wax·ing, wax·es
1. To increase gradually in size, number, strength, or intensity: "His love affair with Mrs. Bernstein waxed and waned and waxed again" (C. Hugh Holman).
2. To show a progressively larger illuminated area, as the moon does in passing from new to full.
3.
a. To grow or become as specified: "His very body had waxed old in lowly service of the Lord" (James Joyce).
b. To speak or write as specified: "[He] warmed to his most favorite of subjects, waxed eloquent, gained in his face a glow of passion" (Paul J. Willis).
Phrasal Verb:
wax on
To speak or write at length about something: "Mason waxed on and on about the old days" (Jennifer Cruisie).

[Middle English waxen, from Old English weaxan; see aug- in Indo-European roots.]

wax 3

 (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 wax (as in archaic to wax angry, to grow angry).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

wax

(wæks)
n
1. (Elements & Compounds) any of various viscous or solid materials of natural origin: characteristically lustrous, insoluble in water, and having a low softening temperature, they consist largely of esters of fatty acids
2. (Elements & Compounds) any of various similar substances, such as paraffin wax or ozocerite, that have a mineral origin and consist largely of hydrocarbons
3. (Elements & Compounds) short for beeswax, sealing wax
4. (Physiology) physiol another name for cerumen
5. (Elements & Compounds) a resinous preparation used by shoemakers to rub on thread
6. (Pharmacology) bone wax a mixture of wax, oil, and carbolic acid applied to the cut surface of a bone to prevent bleeding
7. any substance or object that is pliable or easily moulded: he was wax in the hands of the political bosses.
8. (modifier) made of or resembling wax: a wax figure.
9. (Hairdressing & Grooming) the act or an instance of removing body hair by coating it with warm wax, applying a strip of fabric, and then removing the fabric sharply, thereby plucking the hairs out by their roots
vb
10. (tr) to coat, polish, etc, with wax
11. (Hairdressing & Grooming) to remove (body hair) by means of a wax treatment
[Old English weax, related to Old Saxon, Old High German wahs, Old Norse vax]
ˈwaxer n
ˈwaxˌlike adj

wax

(wæks)
vb (intr)
1. to become larger, more powerful, etc
2. (Astronomy) (of the moon) to show a gradually increasing portion of illuminated surface, between new moon and full moon. Compare wane1
3. archaic to become as specified: the time waxed late.
[Old English weaxan; related to Old Frisian waxa, Old Saxon, Old High German wahsan, Gothic wahsjan]

wax

(wæks)
n
informal old-fashioned Brit a fit of rage or temper: he's in a wax today.
[of obscure origin; perhaps from the phrase to wax angry]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

wax1

(wæks)

n.
1. Also called beeswax. a solid, yellowish, nonglycerine substance allied to fats and oils, secreted by bees in constructing their honeycomb, used in making candles, casts, ointments, etc.
2. any of various similar substances, as spermaceti or the secretions of certain insects and plants.
3. any of a group of substances composed of hydrocarbons, alcohols, fatty acids, and esters that are solid at ordinary temperatures.
4. cerumen; earwax.
5. a resinous substance used by shoemakers for rubbing thread.
7. Slang. a phonograph record.
v.t.
8. to rub, polish, etc., with wax.
9. Slang. to defeat decisively; drub: We waxed the competition.
10. Slang. to make a phonograph recording of.
adj.
11. pertaining to, made of, or resembling wax.
[before 900; Middle English wex, waxe, Old English weax, c. Old Saxon, Old High German wahs, Old Norse vax, Old Church Slavonic voskŭ, Lithuanian vãškas]
wax′a•ble, adj.

wax2

(wæks)

v.i.
1. to increase in extent, quantity, intensity, power, etc.
2. (of the moon) to increase in the extent of its illuminated portion before the full moon. Compare wane (def. 4).
3. to grow or become: to wax resentful.
[before 900; Middle English; Old English weaxan to grow, wax, c. Old Saxon, Old High German wahsan, Old Norse vaxa, Gothic wahsjan; akin to waist]

wax3

(wæks)

n. Brit.
a fit of anger.
[1850–55]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

wax

(wăks)
Any of various solid, usually yellow substances that melt or soften easily when heated. Waxes are produced in nature by various animals and plants, or are made artificially. They are similar to fats, but are less greasy and more brittle.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Wax


1. the art or process of writing or engraving on wax.
2. Rare. the art or process of making paintings with colors mixed with beeswax and fixed with heat; encaustic painting. — cerographist, n.cero-graphic, cerographical, adj.
a form of divination involving dropping melted wax into water.
the art of modeling with wax. — ceroplastic, adj.
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

wax


Past participle: waxed
Gerund: waxing

Imperative
wax
wax
Present
I wax
you wax
he/she/it waxes
we wax
you wax
they wax
Preterite
I waxed
you waxed
he/she/it waxed
we waxed
you waxed
they waxed
Present Continuous
I am waxing
you are waxing
he/she/it is waxing
we are waxing
you are waxing
they are waxing
Present Perfect
I have waxed
you have waxed
he/she/it has waxed
we have waxed
you have waxed
they have waxed
Past Continuous
I was waxing
you were waxing
he/she/it was waxing
we were waxing
you were waxing
they were waxing
Past Perfect
I had waxed
you had waxed
he/she/it had waxed
we had waxed
you had waxed
they had waxed
Future
I will wax
you will wax
he/she/it will wax
we will wax
you will wax
they will wax
Future Perfect
I will have waxed
you will have waxed
he/she/it will have waxed
we will have waxed
you will have waxed
they will have waxed
Future Continuous
I will be waxing
you will be waxing
he/she/it will be waxing
we will be waxing
you will be waxing
they will be waxing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been waxing
you have been waxing
he/she/it has been waxing
we have been waxing
you have been waxing
they have been waxing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been waxing
you will have been waxing
he/she/it will have been waxing
we will have been waxing
you will have been waxing
they will have been waxing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been waxing
you had been waxing
he/she/it had been waxing
we had been waxing
you had been waxing
they had been waxing
Conditional
I would wax
you would wax
he/she/it would wax
we would wax
you would wax
they would wax
Past Conditional
I would have waxed
you would have waxed
he/she/it would have waxed
we would have waxed
you would have waxed
they would have waxed
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.wax - any of various substances of either mineral origin or plant or animal originwax - any of various substances of either mineral origin or plant or animal origin; they are solid at normal temperatures and insoluble in water
bayberry tallow, bayberry wax - a fragrant green wax obtained from the wax myrtle and used in making candles
carnauba, carnauba wax - hard yellowish to brownish wax from leaves of the carnauba palm used especially in floor waxes and polishes
candelilla wax - a hard brown wax that occurs as a coating on candelilla shrubs
ceresin - a white wax extracted from ozokerite
floor wax - a preparation containing wax and used to polish and preserve the finish of floors
fig wax, gondang wax - a hard cream-colored wax obtained from a Javanese fig tree
Japan tallow, Japan wax - a yellow wax obtained from sumac berries; used in polishes
lipid, lipide, lipoid - an oily organic compound insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents; essential structural component of living cells (along with proteins and carbohydrates)
montan wax - a hard wax obtained from lignite
pisang wax - a wax obtained from the leaves of a plantain
paraffin scale, scale wax - partly refined paraffin wax
ski wax - wax used on the bottom of skis
beeswax - a yellow to brown wax secreted by honeybees to build honeycombs
cerumen, earwax - a soft yellow wax secreted by glands in the ear canal
paraffin, paraffin wax - from crude petroleum; used for candles and for preservative or waterproof coatings
spermaceti - a white waxy substance from oil of the sperm whale
vegetable wax - a waxy substance obtained from plants (especially from the trunks of certain palms)
lac wax, shellac wax - a hard wax separated from shellac by its insolubility in alcohol
Verb1.wax - cover with waxwax - cover with wax; "wax the car"  
beeswax - cover with beeswax; "Chris beeswaxed the kitchen table"
cover - provide with a covering or cause to be covered; "cover her face with a handkerchief"; "cover the child with a blanket"; "cover the grave with flowers"
2.wax - go up or advance; "Sales were climbing after prices were lowered"
jump - increase suddenly and significantly; "Prices jumped overnight"
increase - become bigger or greater in amount; "The amount of work increased"
gain, advance - rise in rate or price; "The stock market gained 24 points today"
wane - become smaller; "Interest in his novels waned"
3.wax - increase in phase; "the moon is waxing"
increase - become bigger or greater in amount; "The amount of work increased"
wane - decrease in phase; "the moon is waning"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

wax

verb
1. increase, rise, grow, develop, mount, expand, swell, enlarge, fill out, magnify, get bigger, dilate, become larger Portugal and Spain had vast empires which waxed and waned.
increase contract, decline, narrow, fade, shrink, diminish, decrease, dwindle, lessen, wane
2. become fuller, become larger, enlarge, get bigger One should plant seeds and cuttings when the moon is waxing.
3. become, get, grow, come to be, turn He waxed eloquent about the discovery of new worlds.
wax lyrical enthuse, rave, gush, get carried away, become enthusiastic He waxed lyrical about the loyalty of his employees.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

wax

verb
2. To come to be:
become, come, get, grow, turn (out).
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
شَمْعشَمْع الأذُنشَمْع الخَتْمشَمْعي، مَصْنوع من الشَّمْعمادَّةٌ شَمْعِيَّه لِتَلْميع الأثاث
восък
vosk
voksvoksebivoksørevokssegllak
vaksa
ceraencerarlacrecrecer (moon)
poonimisvahavaha
vahavahatakasvaapoistaasavikiekko
vosak
viasz
lilinmalam
vaxvaxa, aukast, stækkavaxbera, bónaeyrnamergurgljávax, bón
밀랍
cera
augtaugt un diltievaskotsērsspodrināšanas ziede
cearăcera
dorastaťušný mazvoskvoskovať
vosek
vax
ขี้ผึ้ง
sáp ong

wax

1 [wæks]
A. Ncera f; (in ear) → cera f (de los oídos), cerumen m, cerilla f
B. ADJde cera
C. VT [+ furniture, car] → encerar
D. CPD wax paper Npapel m encerado
wax seal Nsello m de lacre

wax

2 [wæks] VI [moon] → crecer
to wax and wanecrecer y decrecer
to wax enthusiastic (o.f. or hum) → entusiasmarse
to wax eloquent about sthponerse elocuente acerca de algo
see also lyrical
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

wax

[ˈwæks]
n (= candle wax, beeswax) → cire f
(for skis)fart m
vt [+ floor, furniture] → cirer; [+ car] → lustrer
vi
[moon] → croître
to wax and wane [moon] → croître et décroître; [support, interest, love] → grandir pour finir par retomberwax bean n (US)haricot m beurre invwaxed cotton ncoton m huiléwaxed jacket nciré mwaxed paper npapier m paraffiné
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

wax

:
wax bean
n (US) → Wachsbohne f
wax candle
nWachskerze f
wax doll
nWachspuppe f

wax

:
wax museum
n (esp US) → Wachsfigurenkabinett nt
wax paper
nWachspapier nt
waxwork
nWachsfigur f
waxworks
n sing or plWachsfigurenkabinett nt

wax

1
nWachs nt; (= ear wax)Ohrenschmalz nt; (= sealing wax)Siegellack m
adjWachs-; wax crayonWachsmalstift m
vt car, furniturewachsen; floorbohnern; moustachewichsen; legsmit Wachs behandeln

wax

2
vi
(moon)zunehmen; to wax and wane (fig)schwanken, kommen und gehen
(liter: = become) → werden; to wax enthusiasticin Begeisterung geraten ? lyrical
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

wax

1 [wæks]
1. ncera; (for skis) → sciolina; (in ear) → cerume m
2. adjdi cera
3. vt (furniture, car) → dare la cera a; (skis) → sciolinare

wax

2 [wæks] vi (moon) → crescere
to wax enthusiastic → diventare entusiasta
to wax eloquent about sth → diventare infervorato/a nel parlare di qc
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

wax1

(wӕks) noun
1. the sticky, fatty substance of which bees make their cells; beeswax.
2. the sticky, yellowish substance formed in the ears.
3. a manufactured, fatty substance used in polishing, to give a good shine. furniture wax.
4. (also adjective) (also ˈcandle-wax) (of) a substance made from paraffin, used in making candles, models etc, that melts when heated. a wax model.
5. sealing-wax.
verb
to smear, polish or rub with wax.
waxed adjective
having a coating of wax. waxed paper.
ˈwaxen, ˈwaxy adjective
ˈwaxwork noun
a wax model (usually of a well-known person).
ˈwaxworks noun plural
an exhibition of such models.

wax2

(wӕks) verb
1. (of the moon) to appear to grow in size as more of it becomes visible.
2. an old word for to grow or increase.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

wax

شَمْع vosk voks Wachs κερί cera vaha cire vosak cera 밀랍 was voks wosk cera воск vax ขี้ผึ้ง balmumu sáp ong
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

wax

n. cera.
1. cera producida por abejas;
2. secreción cerosa;
ear ______ del oído;
3. cerumen, sustancia de origen animal, vegetal o mineral que se emplea en preparaciones de pomadas y ceratos;
depilatory ______ depilatoria.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

wax

n cera; ear — cerumen m (form), cera de los oídos
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in periodicals archive ?
PageMaker, too, had been inspired by Xerox's Star system, though its developers smartly realized that its users were more interested in replacing their X-Acto knives and waxers than in new theories of office automation.
Brows have inspired a whole industry - there are threaders, pluckers, waxers and brow artists.