Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Wax
Wax
(wăks)
, Verb.
I.
[
imp.
Waxed
; p. p.
Waxed
, and Obs.
or Poetic
Waxen
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Waxing
.] [AS.
weaxan
; akin to OFries. waxa
, D. wassen
, OS. & OHG. wahsan
, G. wachsen
, Icel. vaxa
, Sw. växa
, Dan. voxe
, Goth. wahsjan
, Gr. [GREEK] to increase, Skr. waksh
, uksh
, to grow. √135. Cf. Waist
.] 1.
To increase in size; to grow bigger; to become larger or fuller; – opposed to wane.
The
waxing
and the waning of the moon. Hakewill.
Truth’s treasures . . . never shall
wax
ne wane. P. Plowman.
2.
To pass from one state to another; to become; to grow;
as, to
wax
strong; to wax
warmer or colder; to wax
feeble; to wax
old; to wax
worse and worse.Your clothes are not
waxen
old upon you. Deut. xxix. 5.
Where young Adonis oft reposes,
Waxing
well of his deep wound. Milton.
Waxing kernels
(Med.)
, small tumors formed by the enlargement of the lymphatic glands, especially in the groins of children; – popularly so called, because supposed to be caused by growth of the body.
Dunglison.
Wax
,Noun.
[AS.
weax
; akin to OFries. wax
, D. was
, G. wachs
, OHG. wahs
, Icel. & Sw. vax
, Dan. vox
, Lith. vaszkas
, Russ. vosk'
.] 1.
A fatty, solid substance, produced by bees, and employed by them in the construction of their comb; – usually called
beeswax
. It is first excreted, from a row of pouches along their sides, in the form of scales, which, being masticated and mixed with saliva, become whitened and tenacious. Its natural color is pale or dull yellow. ☞ Beeswax consists essentially of cerotic acid (constituting the more soluble part) and of myricyl palmitate (constituting the less soluble part).
2.
Hence, any substance resembling beeswax in consistency or appearance.
Specifically: –(a)
(Physiol.)
Cerumen, or earwax.
See Cerumen
.(b)
A waxlike composition used for uniting surfaces, for excluding air, and for other purposes;
as, sealing
. wax
, grafting wax
, etching wax
, etc(c)
A waxlike composition used by shoemakers for rubbing their thread.
(d)
(Zool.)
A substance similar to beeswax, secreted by several species of scale insects, as the Chinese wax. See
Wax insect
, below. (e)
(Bot.)
A waxlike product secreted by certain plants. See
Vegetable wax
, under Vegetable
. (f)
(Min.)
A substance, somewhat resembling wax, found in connection with certain deposits of rock salt and coal; – called also mineral wax, and ozocerite.
(g)
Thick sirup made by boiling down the sap of the sugar maple, and then cooling.
[Local U. S.]
Japanese wax
, a waxlike substance made in Japan from the berries of certain species of
– Rhus
, esp. Rhus succedanea
. Mineral wax
. (Min.)
See
– Wax
, 2 (f)
, above. Wax cloth
. See
– Waxed cloth
, under Waxed
. Wax end
. See
– Waxed end
, under Waxed
. Wax flower
, a flower made of, or resembling, wax.
– Wax insect
(Zool.)
, any one of several species of scale insects belonging to the family
– Coccidae
, which secrete from their bodies a waxlike substance, especially the Chinese wax insect (Coccus Sinensis
) from which a large amount of the commercial Chinese wax is obtained. Called also pela
. Wax light
, a candle or taper of wax.
– Wax moth
(Zool.)
, a pyralid moth (
– Galleria cereana
) whose larvae feed upon honeycomb, and construct silken galleries among the fragments. The moth has dusky gray wings streaked with brown near the outer edge. The larva is yellowish white with brownish dots. Called also bee moth
. Wax myrtle
. (Bot.)
See
– Bayberry
. Wax painting
, a kind of painting practiced by the ancients, under the name of encaustic. The pigments were ground with wax, and diluted. After being applied, the wax was melted with hot irons and the color thus fixed.
– Wax palm
. (Bot.)
(a)
A species of palm (
Ceroxylon Andicola
) native of the Andes, the stem of which is covered with a secretion, consisting of two thirds resin and one third wax, which, when melted with a third of fat, makes excellent candles. (b)
A Brazilian tree (
– Copernicia cerifera
) the young leaves of which are covered with a useful waxy secretion. Wax paper
, paper prepared with a coating of white wax and other ingredients.
– Wax plant
(Bot.)
, a name given to several plants
, as: (a)
The Indian pipe (see under
Indian
). (b)
The
Hoya carnosa
, a climbing plant with polished, fleshy leaves. (c)
Certain species of
– Begonia
with similar foliage. Wax tree
(Bot.)
(a)
A tree or shrub (
Ligustrum lucidum
) of China, on which certain insects make a thick deposit of a substance resembling white wax. (b)
A kind of sumac (
Rhus succedanea
) of Japan, the berries of which yield a sort of wax. (c)
A rubiaceous tree (
– Elaeagia utilis
) of New Grenada, called by the inhabitants “arbol del cera.” Wax yellow
, a dull yellow, resembling the natural color of beeswax.
Wax
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Waxed
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Waxing
.] To smear or rub with wax; to treat with wax;
as, to
. wax
a thread or a tableWaxed cloth
, cloth covered with a coating of wax, used as a cover, of tables and for other purposes; – called also
– wax cloth
. Waxed end
, a thread pointed with a bristle and covered with shoemaker's wax, used in sewing leather, as for boots, shoes, and the like; – called also
wax end
. Brockett.
Webster 1828 Edition
Wax
WAX
,Noun.
1.
A thick, viscid, tenacious substance, collected by bees, or excreted from their bodies, and employed in the construction of their cells; usually called bees wax. Its native color is yellow, but it is bleached for candles, &c.2.
A thick tenacious substance excreted in the ear.3.
A substance secreted by certain plants, forming a silvery powder on the leaves and fruit, as in the wax-palm and wax-myrtle.4.
A substance found on the hinder legs of bees, which is supposed to be their food.5.
A substance used in sealing letters; called sealing-wax, or Spanish wax. This is a composition of gum-lacca and resin, colored with some pigment.6.
A thick substance used by shoemakers for rubbing their thread.WAX
,Verb.
T.
WAX
,Verb.
I.
1.
To increase in size; to grow; to become larger; as the waxing and the waning moon.2.
To pass from one state to another; to become; as, to wax strong; to wax warm or cold; to wax feeble; to wax hot; to wax old; to wax worse and worse.