/ wæks; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun [ U ]
1.
a solid substance that is made from beeswax or from various fats and oils and used for making candles , polish, models, etc. It becomes soft when it is heated :
styling wax for the hair
floor wax
wax crayons
wax polish
—see also paraffin wax , sealing wax
2.
a soft sticky yellowish substance that is found in your ears
•
IDIOMS
see ball noun
■ verb
1.
[ vn ] to polish sth with wax
2.
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] to cover sth with wax :
waxed paper
a waxed jacket
3.
[ vn ] [ often passive ] to remove hair from a part of the body using wax :
to wax your legs / to have your legs waxed
4.
[ v ] ( of the moon ) to seem to get gradually bigger until its full form is visible
OPP wane
5.
[ v - adj ] wax lyrical, eloquent, sentimental, etc. ( formal ) to become lyrical , etc. when speaking or writing :
He waxed lyrical on the food at the new restaurant.
•
IDIOMS
- wax and wane
••
WORD ORIGIN
noun and verb senses 1 to 3 Old English wæx , weax , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch was and German Wachs . The verb dates from late Middle English .
verb senses 4 to 5 and idsym. Old English weaxan , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wassen and German wachsen , from an Indo-European root shared by Greek auxanein and Latin augere to increase.