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.
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) (Zoöl.) 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.
R. 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 (Zoöl.), any one of several species of scale insects belonging to
the family Coccidæ, 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 (Zoöl.), a pyralid moth (Galleria
cereana) whose larvæ 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 (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 (Elæagia
utilis) of New Grenada, called by the inhabitants "arbol del cera." — Wax yellow, a dull yellow, resembling
the natural color of beeswax.
