wax

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A soft, solid substance made from oils or fats that melts when warmed, used to make candles and to polish surfaces.

   The candle dripped hot wax onto the table.

2. 2
   verb

   To rub wax onto something to protect or polish it.

   He waxed the car until it shone.

3. 3
   noun

   The sticky substance found inside your ears.

   The doctor cleaned the wax out of his ears.

4. 4
   verb

   To gradually grow larger or brighter, especially of the moon.

   The moon is waxing and will be full by Friday.

5. 5
   adj

   Made of wax.

   The museum displayed a wax figure of the queen.

From Middle English waxen, from Old English weaxan (“to wax, grow, be fruitful, increase, become powerful, flourish”), from Proto-West Germanic *wahsan, from Proto-Germanic *wahsijaną (“to grow”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weg- (“to grow, increase”). Cognate with Scots wax (“to grow”), West Frisian waakse (“to greaten”), Low German wassen, Dutch wassen (“to greaten”), German wachsen (“to greaten”), Danish and Norwegian vokse (“to greaten”), Swedish växa (“to greaten”), Icelandic vaxa (“to greaten”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌷𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wahsjan, “to grow”); and with Ancient Greek ἀέξειν (aéxein), Latin auxilium.…

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