borax
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Related to borax: boric acid
bo·rax
(bôr′ăks′, -əks)n.
1. A hydrated sodium borate, Na2B4O7·10H2O, an ore of boron, that is used as a cleaning compound.
2. Cheap merchandise, especially tasteless furnishings: "today's glinty borax" (New Yorker).
[Middle English, from Medieval Latin bōrāx, from Arabic būraq, from Middle Persian būrak. Sense 2, perhaps from the custom of giving away borax soap as a premium for the sale of cheap furniture .]
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.
borax
(ˈbɔːræks)n, pl -raxes or -races (-rəˌsiːz)
1. (Minerals) Also called: tincal a soluble readily fusible white mineral consisting of impure hydrated disodium tetraborate in monoclinic crystalline form, occurring in alkaline soils and salt deposits. Formula: Na2B4O7.10H2O
2. (Elements & Compounds) pure disodium tetraborate
[C14: from Old French boras, from Medieval Latin borax, from Arabic būraq, from Persian būrah]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
bo•rax1
(ˈbɔr æks, -əks, ˈboʊr-)n., pl. bo•rax•es, bo•ra•ces (ˈbɔr əˌsiz, ˈboʊr-)
a water-soluble powder or crystals, hydrated sodium borate, Na2B4O7∙10H2O, used as a flux, as a cleansing agent, in glassmaking, and in tanning.
[1350–1400; Middle English boras < Middle French < Medieval Latin borax]
bo•rax2
(ˈbɔr æks, -əks, ˈboʊr-)n.
cheap, showy, poorly made merchandise, esp. cheaply built furniture of an undistinguished or heterogeneous style.
[1940–45, Amer.; of uncertain orig.]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
bo·rax
(bôr′ăks′) A white, crystalline powder and mineral used as an antiseptic, as a cleansing agent, and in fusing metals and making heat-resistant glass. The mineral is an ore of boron.
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.
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Noun | 1. | borax - an ore of boron consisting of hydrated sodium borate; used as a flux or cleansing agent atomic number 5, boron, B - a trivalent metalloid element; occurs both in a hard black crystal and in the form of a yellow or brown powder mineral - solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical composition |
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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
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
borax
n → Borax m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
bo·rax
n. bórax, borato de sodio.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012