English Dictionary

WAX

Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

IPA (US): 

 Dictionary entry overview: What does wax mean? 

WAX (noun)
  The noun WAX has 1 sense:

1. any of various substances of either mineral origin or plant or animal origin; they are solid at normal temperatures and insoluble in waterplay

  Familiarity information: WAX used as a noun is very rare.


WAX (verb)
  The verb WAX has 3 senses:

1. cover with waxplay

2. go up or advanceplay

3. increase in phaseplay

  Familiarity information: WAX used as a verb is uncommon.


 Dictionary entry details 


WAX (noun)


Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of various substances of either mineral origin or plant or animal origin; they are solid at normal temperatures and insoluble in water

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("wax" is a kind of...):

lipid; lipide; lipoid (an oily organic compound insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents; essential structural component of living cells (along with proteins and carbohydrates))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "wax"):

carnauba; carnauba wax (hard yellowish to brownish wax from leaves of the carnauba palm used especially in floor waxes and polishes)

lac wax; shellac wax (a hard wax separated from shellac by its insolubility in alcohol)

vegetable wax (a waxy substance obtained from plants (especially from the trunks of certain palms))

spermaceti (a white waxy substance from oil of the sperm whale)

paraffin; paraffin wax (from crude petroleum; used for candles and for preservative or waterproof coatings)

cerumen; earwax (a soft yellow wax secreted by glands in the ear canal)

beeswax (a yellow to brown wax secreted by honeybees to build honeycombs)

ski wax (wax used on the bottom of skis)

paraffin scale; scale wax (partly refined paraffin wax)

pisang wax (a wax obtained from the leaves of a plantain)

montan wax (a hard wax obtained from lignite)

Japan tallow; Japan wax (a yellow wax obtained from sumac berries; used in polishes)

fig wax; gondang wax (a hard cream-colored wax obtained from a Javanese fig tree)

floor wax (a preparation containing wax and used to polish and preserve the finish of floors)

ceresin (a white wax extracted from ozokerite)

candelilla wax (a hard brown wax that occurs as a coating on candelilla shrubs)

bayberry tallow; bayberry wax (a fragrant green wax obtained from the wax myrtle and used in making candles)

Derivation:

wax (cover with wax)

waxy (made of or covered with wax)


WAX (verb)

 Conjugation: 
Present simple: I / you / we / they wax  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation ... he / she / it waxes  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
Past simple: waxed  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
Past participle: waxed  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
-ing form: waxing  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation


Sense 1

Meaning:

Cover with wax

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

wax the car

Hypernyms (to "wax" is one way to...):

cover (provide with a covering or cause to be covered)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "wax"):

beeswax (cover with beeswax)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

wax (any of various substances of either mineral origin or plant or animal origin; they are solid at normal temperatures and insoluble in water)

waxing (the application of wax to a surface)


Sense 2

Meaning:

Go up or advance

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

climb; mount; rise; wax

Context example:

Sales were climbing after prices were lowered

Hypernyms (to "wax" is one way to...):

increase (become bigger or greater in amount)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "wax"):

jump (increase suddenly and significantly)

advance; gain (rise in rate or price)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Antonym:

wane (become smaller)

Derivation:

waxing (a gradual increase in magnitude or extent)


Sense 3

Meaning:

Increase in phase

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

full; wax

Context example:

the moon is waxing

Hypernyms (to "wax" is one way to...):

increase (become bigger or greater in amount)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sentence example:

The moon will soon wax

Antonym:

wane (decrease in phase)

Derivation:

waxing (a gradual increase in magnitude or extent)


 Context examples 


Researchers say they still need to better understand how wax is digested, but that finding out could lead to a biotechnological solution to plastic waste.

(Plastic Eating Worm Could Help Ease Pollution, VOA)

In loud voices they shouted over the day’s fighting, wrangled about details, or waxed affectionate and made friends with the men whom they had fought.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

“Stick to it close as wax.”

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It is a bust in wax.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Wax esters are one of the most difficult fats to digest for many animals, including humans.

(Whales may owe their efficient digestion to millions of tiny microbes, National Science Foundation)

A semi-solid composed of an emulsion of lipids, hydrocarbons, waxes, or polyols in water.

(Cream Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus)

I looked at Adele, whose head leant against my shoulder; her eyes were waxing heavy, so I took her up in my arms and carried her off to bed.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Waxy or fatty layer on outer wall of epidermal cells formed of cutin and wax.

(Cuticle, Food and Drug Administration)

Yet, largely hidden from daily life, the field drifts, waxes and wanes.

(Earth's last magnetic field reversal took far longer than once thought, National Science Foundation)

Animals that were given the gel treatment showed a minor hearing deficit comparable to the effects of ear wax.

(Developing novel ear infection treatments, NIH)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take." (English proverb)

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"Wit is folly unless a wise man hath the keeping of it." (Arabic proverb)

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." (Danish proverb)



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