wax1

[waks] /wæks/
noun
1.
Also called beeswax. a solid, yellowish, nonglycerine substance allied to fats and oils, secreted by bees, plastic when warm and melting at about 145°F, variously employed in making candles, models, casts, ointments, etc., and used by bees in constructing their honeycomb.
2.
any of various similar substances, as spermaceti or the secretions of certain insects and plants.
Compare vegetable wax, wax insect.
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.
6.
sealing wax.
7.
a person or object suggesting wax, as in manageability or malleability:
I am helpless wax in your hands.
verb (used with object)
8.
to rub, smear, stiffen, polish, etc., with wax:
to wax the floor.
9.
to fill the crevices of (ornamental marble) with colored material.
10.
bikini wax.
11.
Informal. to make a phonograph recording of.
12.
Slang. to defeat decisively; drub:
We waxed the competition.
adjective
13.
pertaining to, made of, or resembling wax:
a wax candle; a wax doll.
Idioms
14.
whole ball of wax, Slang.
  1. the entire or overall plan, concept, action, result, or the like:
    The first ten minutes of the meeting will determine the whole ball of wax.
  2. everything of a similar or related nature:
    They sold us skis, boots, bindings, poles—the whole ball of wax.
Origin
before 900; (noun) Middle English wex, waxe, Old English weax; cognate with Dutch was, German Wachs, Old Norse vax; (v.) Middle English wexen, derivative of the noun
Related forms
waxable, adjective
waxlike, adjective

wax2

[waks] /wæks/
verb (used without object), waxed; waxed or (Literary) waxen; waxing.
1.
to increase in extent, quantity, intensity, power, etc.:
Discord waxed at an alarming rate.
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:
He waxed angry at the insinuation.
Origin
before 900; Middle English waxen, Old English weaxan; cognate with German wachsen; akin to waist
Synonyms
1. extend, grow, lengthen, enlarge, dilate.

wax3

[waks] /wæks/
noun, Chiefly British
1.
a fit of anger; rage.
Origin
1850-55; perhaps special use of wax2
Examples from the web for wax
  • The wraps for the cookies were made with soy wax, not petroleum wax.
  • The author of a book on how civilizations wax and wane, and why future generations everywhere will be wealthier.
  • Heat the oils and beeswax until they warm and the wax melts.
  • Weave any remaining loose ends together, trim off the excess and bind them together with not melt glue or wax.
  • The students' task was to attach the candle to a wall so that it burned properly and did not drip wax on the table or the floor.
  • Salt air blends with the scent of hot wax emanating from the batik-maker's shop, little more than a beachside shack.
  • The wax takes on the shape produced from the three nuclei orbits of the water nucleus.
  • Roundish fruit is covered with white wax-the bayberry wax used for candles.
  • And alas, the macks lost their stacks and stopped pressing wax.
  • Over the years, the slate tile floor in our entrance hall has been washed with warm water and polished with a liquid wax.
British Dictionary definitions for wax

wax1

/wæks/
noun
1.
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.
any of various similar substances, such as paraffin wax or ozocerite, that have a mineral origin and consist largely of hydrocarbons
3.
short for beeswax, sealing wax
4.
(physiol) another name for cerumen
5.
a resinous preparation used by shoemakers to rub on thread
6.
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.
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
verb
10.
(transitive) to coat, polish, etc, with wax
11.
to remove (body hair) by means of a wax treatment
Derived Forms
waxer, noun
waxlike, adjective
Word Origin
Old English weax, related to Old Saxon, Old High German wahs, Old Norse vax

wax2

/wæks/
verb (intransitive)
1.
to become larger, more powerful, etc
2.
(of the moon) to show a gradually increasing portion of illuminated surface, between new moon and full moon Compare wane (sense 1)
3.
(archaic) to become as specified: the time waxed late
Word Origin
Old English weaxan; related to Old Frisian waxa, Old Saxon, Old High German wahsan, Gothic wahsjan

wax3

/wæks/
noun
1.
(Brit, informal, old-fashioned) a fit of rage or temper: he's in a wax today
Word Origin
of obscure origin; perhaps from the phrase to wax angry
Word Origin and History for wax
n.

"substance made by bees," Old English weax, from Proto-Germanic *wakhsan (cf. Old Saxon, Old High German wahs, Old Norse vax, Dutch was, German Wachs); cognate with Old Church Slavonic vasku, Lithuanian vaškas, Polish wosk, Russian vosk "wax" (but these may be from Germanic). Waxworks "exhibition of wax figures representing famous or notorious persons" first recorded 1796.

v.

"grow bigger or greater," Old English weaxan "to increase, grow" (class VII strong verb; past tense weox, past participle weaxen), from Proto-Germanic *wakhsan (cf. Old Saxon, Old High German wahsan, Old Norse vaxa, Old Frisian waxa, Dutch wassen, German wachsen, Gothic wahsjan "to grow, increase"), from PIE *wegs- (cf. Sanskrit vaksayati "cause to grow," Greek auxein "to increase"), extended form of root *aug- "to increase" (see augment). Strong conjugation archaic after 14c. Related: Waxed; waxing.

wax in Medicine

wax (wāks)
n.

  1. 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 most organic solvents.

  2. Cerumen.

  3. A solid plastic or pliable liquid substance, such as paraffin, originating from petroleum and found in rock layers and often used in medicinal preparations.

wax in Science
wax
  (wāks)   
Any of various solid, usually yellow substances that melt or soften easily when heated. They are similar to fats, but are less greasy and more brittle. Naturally occurring animal and plant waxes are esters of saturated fatty acids and alcohols of high molecular weight, including sterols. Waxes are also manufactured synthetically from petroleum, and are used to make polishers, lubricants, coatings, waterproofing, crayons, candles, and many other products.
Slang definitions & phrases for wax

wax

noun

: Play the tune and cut a wax of it

verb
  1. To defeat; outdo; beat, clobber, zap (1884+)
  2. To assault and maul; injure or kill: I've always got a few bucks to wax Red Gs (1884+)
  3. (also put on wax) To make a phonograph recording; record: Louis Armstrong waxed ''Beale Street Blues''/ put the Stone Age stuff of jazz on wax (1920s+ Jazz musicians)
Related Terms

the whole ball of wax

[the origin of the violent senses is unknown; perhaps semantically analogous with polish off, referring to wax as a polish; recording senses fr the material used, as vinyl was used later]


wax in the Bible

Made by melting the combs of bees. Mentioned (Ps. 22:14; 68:2; 97:5; Micah 1:4) in illustration.

Idioms and Phrases with wax

wax

In addition to the idiom beginning with wax also see: whole ball of wax