What is "wax"

Wax \Wax\, v. 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 table.

Waxed 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.

Wax \Wax\, n. [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.

   Note: 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:

   1. (Physiol.) Cerumen, or earwax. See Cerumen.

   2. A waxlike composition used for uniting surfaces, for excluding air, and for other purposes; as, sealing wax, grafting wax, etching wax, etc.

   3. A waxlike composition used by shoemakers for rubbing their thread.

   4. (Zo["o]l.) A substance similar to beeswax, secreted by several species of scale insects, as the Chinese wax. See Wax insect, below.

   5. (Bot.) A waxlike product secreted by certain plants. See Vegetable wax, under Vegetable.

   6. (Min.) A substance, somewhat resembling wax, found in connection with certain deposits of rock salt and coal; -- called also mineral wax, and ozocerite.

   7. Thick sirup made by boiling down the sap of the sugar maple, and then cooling. [Local U. S.]

   8. any of numerous substances or mixtures composed predominantly of the longer-chain saturated hydrocarbons such as the paraffins, which are solid at room teperature, or their alcohol, carboxylic acid, or ester derivatives. 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 (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of scale insects belonging to the family Coccid[ae], 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 (Zo["o]l.), a pyralid moth ( Galleria cereana) whose larv[ae] 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.)

      1. 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.

      2. 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:

         1. The Indian pipe (see under Indian).

         2. The Hoya carnosa, a climbing plant with polished, fleshy leaves.

      3. Certain species of Begonia with similar foliage. Wax tree (Bot.)

         1. A tree or shrub ( Ligustrum lucidum) of China, on which certain insects make a thick deposit of a substance resembling white wax.

         2. A kind of sumac ( Rhus succedanea) of Japan, the berries of which yield a sort of wax.

         3. A rubiaceous tree ( El[ae]agia utilis) of New Grenada, called by the inhabitants ``arbol del cera.''

            Wax yellow, a dull yellow, resembling the natural color of beeswax.

Wax \Wax\ (w[a^]ks), v. 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. v["a]xa, Dan. voxe, Goth. wahsjan, Gr. ? to increase, Skr. waksh, uksh, to grow.

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.

Old English weax "substance made by bees," from Proto-Germanic *wahsam (cognates: Old Saxon, Old High German wahs, Old Norse vax, Dutch was, German Wachs), from PIE root *wokso- "wax" (cognates: Old Church Slavonic voskŭ, Lithuanian vaškas, Polish wosk, Russian vosk "wax" (but these may be from Germanic). Used of other similar substances from 18c. Slang for "gramophone record" is from 1932, American English (until the early 1940s, most original records were made by needle-etching onto a waxy disk which was then metal-plated to make a master). Waxworks "exhibition of wax figures representing famous or notorious persons" first recorded 1796.

"grow bigger or greater," Old English weaxan "to increase, grow" (class VII strong verb; past tense weox, past participle weaxen), from Proto-Germanic *wahsan (cognates: Old Saxon, Old High German wahsan, Old Norse vaxa, Old Frisian waxa, Dutch wassen, German wachsen, Gothic wahsjan "to grow, increase"), from PIE *weg- (cognates: Sanskrit vaksayati "cause to grow," Greek auxein "to increase"), extended form of root *aug- (1) "to increase" (see augment). Strong conjugation archaic after 14c. Related: Waxed; waxing.

Etymology 1

1. Made of wax. n. 1 beeswax. 2 earwax. 3 Any oily, water-resistant substance; normally long-chain hydrocarbons, alcohols or esters. 4 Any preparation containing wax, used as a polish. 5 A phonograph record. 6 (context US dialect English) A thick syrup made by boiling down the sap of the sugar maple and then cooling it. 7 (context US slang English) A type of drugs with as main ingredients weed oil and butane; hash oil v

2. 1 (context transitive English) To apply wax to (something, such as a shoe, a floor, a car, or an apple), usually to make it shiny. 2 (context transitive English) To remove hair at the roots from (a part of the body) by coating the skin with a film of wax that is then pulled away sharply. 3 (context transitive informal English) To defeat utterly. 4 (context transitive slang English) To kill, especially to murder a person. 5 (context transitive archaic usually of a musical or oral performance English) To record. (from 1900) Etymology 2

   n. (context rare English) The process of grow. vb. 1 (label en intransitive with adjective) To increasingly assume the specified characteristic, become. 2 (label en intransitive literary) To grow. Etymology 3

   n. (context dated colloquial English) An outburst of anger.

1. v. cover with wax; "wax the car"

2. go up or advance; "Sales were climbing after prices were lowered" [syn: mount, climb, rise] [ant: wane]

3. increase in phase; "the moon is waxing" [syn: full] [ant: wane]

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

Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are hydrophobic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to give low viscosity liquids. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar solvents. Natural waxes of different types are produced by plants and animals and occur in petroleum.

Wax was a Los Angeles, California-based punk rock band that emerged during the pop punk resurgence of the early 1990s, and includes Joe Sib, Tom "Soda" Gardocki, Dave Georgeff, and Loomis Fall. The band is best known for their MTV buzz clip video "California", directed by Spike Jonze.

Wax was an English 1980s group consisting of American singer-songwriter Andrew Gold and 10cc guitarist/bassist Graham Gouldman. In the US, they were listed as Wax UK. The band is best known for the hit singles "Right Between the Eyes" and " Bridge to Your Heart".

Cho Hye-Ri, (born May 31, 1976), better known as Wax, is a South Korean pop singer and musical actress. She was the lead vocalist of the band Dog. She debuted as soloist in 2000 and has released ten albums and digital singles. Aside her singing activities, Wax made her acting debut in 2007 with a main role in the musical Fixing My Makeup , whose plot is based on her song of the same name. Her hit songs include "Fixing My Makeup" and "Please". She has won three Golden Disk Awards, one each year from 2001 to 2003.

Wax is a class of chemical compounds and mixtures, but may also refer to:

Wax is the seventh studio album by French new wave band Indochine. It was released in 1996.

Michael Jones (born April 5, 1980), better known by his stage name Wax, is an American musician, rapper, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. He became a YouTube star after uploading several videos of himself rapping and singing. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California. Wax is widely known for his popular 2012 re-released single Rosana, which has been viewed over 35 million times on YouTube.

Wax is a surname. Notable people with the name include:

• Carol Wax (born 1953), American artist and author
• Chaim Elozor Wax (1822—89), Hasidic rabbi and scholar
• Mikey Wax, American pianist, guitarist and singer-songwriter
• Ruby Wax (born 1953), American-born British comedian
• Steven T. Wax (born 1949), American lawyer

Wax is a 1935 Mystery novel by British author Ethel Lina White.