wax
wax1 / waks/ • n. a sticky yellowish moldable substance secreted by honeybees as the material of honeycomb; beeswax. ∎ a white translucent material obtained by bleaching and purifying this substance and used for such purposes as making candles, modeling, and as a basis of polishes. ∎ a similar viscous substance, typically a lipid or hydrocarbon. ∎ earwax. ∎ inf. used in reference to phonograph records: he didn't get on wax until 1959.• v. [tr.] 1. cover or treat (something) with wax or a similar substance, typically to polish or protect it: I washed and waxed the floor. ∎ remove unwanted hair from (a part of the body) by applying wax and then peeling off the wax and hairs together.2. inf. make a recording of: he waxed a series of tracks that emphasized his lead guitar work.DERIVATIVES: wax·er n.wax2 • v. [intr.] (of the moon between new and full) have a progressively larger part of its visible surface illuminated, increasing its apparent size. ∎ poetic/lit. become larger or stronger: his anger waxed. ∎ begin to speak or write about something in the specified manner: they waxed lyrical about the old days.PHRASES: wax and wane undergo alternate increases and decreases: companies whose fortunes wax and wane with the economic cycle.wax3 • n. [usu. in sing.] Brit., inf., dated a fit of anger: she is in a wax about the delay to the wedding.