cere

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the fleshy or waxy skin at the base of the upper beak in certain birds, containing the nostrils

   The parakeet's blue cere helped the keeper determine its sex.

2. 2
   verb

   archaic: to coat, wrap, or close with wax or waxed cloth

   The embalmers would cere the body before placing it in the coffin.

From Middle English sere and Old French cire, from Latin cera ("wax"). The bird structure was named for its waxy appearance; the verb preserves the older action of coating or wrapping something in wax.

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