wax

wax
1. A thick, tenacious substance, plastic at room temperature, secreted by bees for building the cells of their honeycomb. SYN: beeswax, cera. 2. Any substance with physical properties similar to those of beeswax, of animal, vegetable, or mineral origin (oils, lipids, or fats that are solids at room temperature). 3. Esters of high molecular weight fatty acid s with monohydric or dihydric alcohols (aliphatic or cyclic), that are solid at room temperature. Often accompanied by free fatty acid s. [A.S. weax]
- animal w. beeswax, spermaceti, and any w. derived from the animal kingdom.
- baseplate w. a hard pink w. used in dentistry for making occlusion rims.
- bleached w. SYN: white w..
- bone w. a mixture of antiseptic agents, oil, and w. used to stop bleeding by plugging bone cavities or haversian canals. SYN: Horsley bone w..
- boxing w. w. used for boxing impressions. SEE ALSO: boxing.
- Brazil w. SYN: carnauba w..
- carnauba w. a w. obtained from the Brazilian w. palm, Copernica cerifera; used in pharmaceuticals to coat medicaments in sustained release preparations and surfaces of tablets; used in waxes for wood and metal. SYN: Brazil w., palm w..
- casting w. any soft solid w. used in dentistry for patterns of all types and for many other purposes; most are basically paraffin but are modified by addition of gum dammar, carnauba w., or other ingredients, to meet various requirements. SYN: inlay w..
- Chinese w. 1. a vegetable w.; 2. a w. secreted by a scale insect, Coccus ceriferus or C. pela, and deposited in the twigs of a species of ash tree; used in China to make candles and also medicinally.
- ear w. SYN: cerumen.
- earth w. SYN: ceresin.
- emulsifying w. a washable ointment base consisting of a mixture of cetostearyl alcohol, sodium lauryl sulfate, and water.
- grave w. SYN: adipocere.
- Horsley bone w. SYN: bone w..
- inlay w. SYN: casting w..
- Japan w. a vegetable w. derived from Rhus succedanea and Toxicodendron verniciferum.
- mineral w. 1. SYN: paraffin w.. 2. SYN: ceresin. 3. a mineral substance whose physical properties are similar to w..
- montan w. a mineral w. extracted from lignite. [L. montanus, of a mountain, fr. mons, mountain]
- palm w. SYN: carnauba w..
- paraffin w. a w. derived from petroleum. SYN: mineral w. (1).
- vegetable w. palm w. or any w. derived from plants such as the bayberry.
- white w. yellow w. bleached by being rolled very thin and exposed to the light and air, or bleached by chemical oxidants; same uses as yellow w.. SYN: bleached w., white beeswax.
- wool w. SYN: adeps lanae.
- yellow w. a yellowish, solid, brittle substance prepared from the honeycomb of the bee, Apis mellifera; the chief constituent is myricin (myricyl palmitate); others are cerotic acid (cerin), melissic acid, heptacosane, and hentriacontane; used in the preparation of ointments, cerates, plasters, and suppositories.

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wax 'waks n
1) a substance that is secreted by bees and is used by them for constructing the honeycomb, that is a dull yellow solid plastic when warm, and that is composed of a mixture of esters, cerotic acid, and hydrocarbons called also beeswax
2) any of various substances resembling beeswax: as
a) any of numerous substances of plant or animal origin that differ from fats in being less greasy, harder, and more brittle and in containing principally compounds of high molecular weight (as fatty acids, alcohols, and saturated hydrocarbons)
b) a pliable or liquid composition used esp. in uniting surfaces, excluding air, making patterns or impressions, or producing a polished surface <dental \waxes>
3) a waxy secretion esp EARWAX

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(waks) [L. cera] a low-melting, high-molecular-weight, organic mixture or compound, similar to fats and oils but lacking glycerides; it may be deposited by insects, obtained from plants, or prepared synthetically. Most are esters of fatty acids and alcohols, with some hydrocarbons. The wax of pharmacy is principally yellow w. and its bleached form white w.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • Wax — Wax, n. [AS. weax; akin to OFries. wax, D. was, G. wachs, OHG. wahs, Icel. & Sw. vax, Dan. vox, Lith. vaszkas, Russ. vosk .] [1913 Webster] 1. A fatty, solid substance, produced by bees, and employed by them in the construction of their comb;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wax — ● wax nom masculin (anglais wax, cire) En Afrique noire, tissu de coton imprimé de qualité supérieure. wax n. m. Tissu de coton imprimé d un dessin évoquant des craquelures, obtenu par un procédé à la cire. (En appos.) Un tissu wax. Un pagne wax …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • 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. [1913 Webster] {Waxed cloth}, cloth covered with a coating of wax, used as a cover, of tables and for other… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Wax — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. {{{image}}}   Sigles d une seule lettre   Sigles de deux lettres > Sigles de trois lettres …   Wikipédia en Français

  • wax — wax1 [waks] n. [ME < OE weax, akin to Ger wachs < IE * wokso < * weg , to weave, prob. < base * (a)we , to WEAVE] 1. a plastic, dull yellow substance secreted by bees for building cells; beeswax: it is hard when cold and easily molded …   English World dictionary

  • wax|y — «WAK see», adjective, wax|i|er, wax|i|est. 1. like wax. 2. made of wax; containing wax; waxen. 3. abounding in or covered w …   Useful english dictionary

  • wax — ‘soft oily substance’ [OE] and the now archaic wax ‘grow, become’ [OE] are distinct words. The former comes (together with German wachs, Dutch was, Swedish vax, and Danish vox) from a prehistoric Germanic *wakhsam. This in turn was descended from …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • wax — ‘soft oily substance’ [OE] and the now archaic wax ‘grow, become’ [OE] are distinct words. The former comes (together with German wachs, Dutch was, Swedish vax, and Danish vox) from a prehistoric Germanic *wakhsam. This in turn was descended from …   Word origins

  • wax|en — «WAK suhn», adjective. 1. of wax; made of wax: »For now my love is thaw d; Which, like a waxen image gainst a fire Bears no impression of the thing it was (Shakespeare). 2. Figurative. like wax; smooth, soft, and pale: »Her skin is waxen. 3.… …   Useful english dictionary

  • wax — verb. In the meaning ‘to assume a specified tone or state’, wax is followed by an adjective, not an adverb: to wax lyrical, to wax enthusiastic, etc.: • When the Roman soldiers were asked to take part in the Claudian invasion of 43, they waxed… …   Modern English usage

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