"wax" meaning in Middle English

See wax in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /waks/, /wɛks/ Forms: waxes [plural], vax [alternative], vex [alternative], waxe [alternative], waxs [alternative], wex [alternative], wexe [alternative], wexs [alternative]
Etymology: From Old English weax, from Proto-West Germanic *wahs, from Proto-Germanic *wahsą. Etymology templates: {{inh|enm|ang|weax}} Old English weax, {{inh|enm|gmw-pro|*wahs}} Proto-West Germanic *wahs, {{inh|enm|gem-pro|*wahsą}} Proto-Germanic *wahsą Head templates: {{head|enm|nouns|g=|g2=|g3=|head=|sort=}} wax, {{enm-noun|waxes}} wax (plural waxes)
  1. wax (beeswax, sealing wax, etc.) Categories (topical): Materials Related terms: grene wax, medewax, waxen (english: to wax)
    Sense id: en-wax-enm-noun-enm:wax Disambiguation of Materials: 18 13 34 34 Categories (other): Middle English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of Middle English entries with incorrect language header: 24 16 30 30
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 1

Noun

IPA: /waks/
Etymology: A back-formation of waxen (“to grow”). Etymology templates: {{back-formation|enm|waxen|id=to grow|nocap=1|t=to grow}} back-formation of waxen (“to grow”) Head templates: {{head|enm|nouns|g=|g2=|g3=|head=|sort=}} wax, {{enm-noun|-}} wax (uncountable)
  1. (rare) growth, increase Tags: rare, uncountable Categories (topical): Materials, Pharmacology
    Sense id: en-wax-enm-noun-enm:growth Disambiguation of Materials: 18 13 34 34 Disambiguation of Pharmacology: 20 38 21 21 Categories (other): Middle English entries with incorrect language header, Middle English back-formations Disambiguation of Middle English entries with incorrect language header: 24 16 30 30
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2

Verb

Head templates: {{head|enm|verb}} wax
  1. Alternative form of waxen (“to grow”) Tags: alt-of, alternative Alternative form of: waxen (extra: to grow) Categories (topical): Materials
    Sense id: en-wax-enm-verb-5UkIaBhM Disambiguation of Materials: 18 13 34 34 Categories (other): Middle English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of Middle English entries with incorrect language header: 24 16 30 30
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 3

Verb

Head templates: {{head|enm|verb}} wax
  1. Alternative form of waxen (“to wax”) Tags: alt-of, alternative Alternative form of: waxen (extra: to wax) Categories (topical): Materials
    Sense id: en-wax-enm-verb-aLm5b-T~ Disambiguation of Materials: 18 13 34 34 Categories (other): Middle English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of Middle English entries with incorrect language header: 24 16 30 30
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 4

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "descendants": [
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "en",
            "2": "wax"
          },
          "expansion": "English: wax",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "English: wax"
    },
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "sco",
            "2": "wax"
          },
          "expansion": "Scots: wax",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "Scots: wax"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "weax"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English weax",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*wahs"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *wahs",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*wahsą"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *wahsą",
      "name": "inh"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Old English weax, from Proto-West Germanic *wahs, from Proto-Germanic *wahsą.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "waxes",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "vax",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "vex",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "waxe",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "waxs",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wex",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wexe",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wexs",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "nouns",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "wax",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "waxes"
      },
      "expansion": "wax (plural waxes)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "24 16 30 30",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "18 13 34 34",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Materials",
          "orig": "enm:Materials",
          "parents": [
            "Manufacturing",
            "Human activity",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "english": "This Pardoner had hair as yellow as wax, / but it hung smoothly like a bushel of flax […]",
          "ref": "1387–1400, [Geoffrey] Chaucer, “Here Bygynneth the Book of the Tales of Caunt́burẏ”, in The Tales of Caunt́bury (Hengwrt Chaucer; Peniarth Manuscript 392D), Aberystwyth, Ceredigion: National Library of Wales, published [c. 1400–1410], →OCLC, folio 10, verso:",
          "text": "This [Par]doner / hadde heer / as yelow as wex / But smothe it heeng as dooth a stryke of flex […]",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "wax (beeswax, sealing wax, etc.)"
      ],
      "id": "en-wax-enm-noun-enm:wax",
      "links": [
        [
          "wax",
          "wax#English"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "grene wax"
        },
        {
          "word": "medewax"
        },
        {
          "english": "to wax",
          "word": "waxen"
        }
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "enm:wax"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/waks/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/wɛks/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "wax"
}

{
  "descendants": [
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "en",
            "2": "wax"
          },
          "expansion": "English: wax",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "English: wax"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "waxen",
        "id": "to grow",
        "nocap": "1",
        "t": "to grow"
      },
      "expansion": "back-formation of waxen (“to grow”)",
      "name": "back-formation"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "A back-formation of waxen (“to grow”).",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "nouns",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "wax",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "wax (uncountable)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "24 16 30 30",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English back-formations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "18 13 34 34",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Materials",
          "orig": "enm:Materials",
          "parents": [
            "Manufacturing",
            "Human activity",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 38 21 21",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Pharmacology",
          "orig": "enm:Pharmacology",
          "parents": [
            "Biochemistry",
            "Medicine",
            "Biology",
            "Chemistry",
            "Healthcare",
            "Sciences",
            "Health",
            "All topics",
            "Body",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "growth, increase"
      ],
      "id": "en-wax-enm-noun-enm:growth",
      "links": [
        [
          "growth",
          "growth#English"
        ],
        [
          "increase",
          "increase"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) growth, increase"
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "enm:growth"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/waks/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "wax"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 3,
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "verb"
      },
      "expansion": "wax",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "to grow",
          "word": "waxen"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "24 16 30 30",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "18 13 34 34",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Materials",
          "orig": "enm:Materials",
          "parents": [
            "Manufacturing",
            "Human activity",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of waxen (“to grow”)"
      ],
      "id": "en-wax-enm-verb-5UkIaBhM",
      "links": [
        [
          "waxen",
          "waxen#Middle_English:_to_grow"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "wax"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 4,
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "verb"
      },
      "expansion": "wax",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "to wax",
          "word": "waxen"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "24 16 30 30",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "18 13 34 34",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Materials",
          "orig": "enm:Materials",
          "parents": [
            "Manufacturing",
            "Human activity",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of waxen (“to wax”)"
      ],
      "id": "en-wax-enm-verb-aLm5b-T~",
      "links": [
        [
          "waxen",
          "waxen#Middle_English:_to_wax"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "wax"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
    "Middle English lemmas",
    "Middle English nouns",
    "Middle English terms derived from Old English",
    "Middle English terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
    "Middle English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic",
    "Middle English terms inherited from Old English",
    "Middle English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic",
    "Middle English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic",
    "Middle English verbs",
    "Pages with 5 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "enm:Materials",
    "enm:Pharmacology"
  ],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "en",
            "2": "wax"
          },
          "expansion": "English: wax",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "English: wax"
    },
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "sco",
            "2": "wax"
          },
          "expansion": "Scots: wax",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "Scots: wax"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "weax"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English weax",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*wahs"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *wahs",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*wahsą"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *wahsą",
      "name": "inh"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Old English weax, from Proto-West Germanic *wahs, from Proto-Germanic *wahsą.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "waxes",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "vax",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "vex",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "waxe",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "waxs",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wex",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wexe",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wexs",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "nouns",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "wax",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "waxes"
      },
      "expansion": "wax (plural waxes)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "grene wax"
    },
    {
      "word": "medewax"
    },
    {
      "english": "to wax",
      "word": "waxen"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Middle English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "english": "This Pardoner had hair as yellow as wax, / but it hung smoothly like a bushel of flax […]",
          "ref": "1387–1400, [Geoffrey] Chaucer, “Here Bygynneth the Book of the Tales of Caunt́burẏ”, in The Tales of Caunt́bury (Hengwrt Chaucer; Peniarth Manuscript 392D), Aberystwyth, Ceredigion: National Library of Wales, published [c. 1400–1410], →OCLC, folio 10, verso:",
          "text": "This [Par]doner / hadde heer / as yelow as wex / But smothe it heeng as dooth a stryke of flex […]",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "wax (beeswax, sealing wax, etc.)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "wax",
          "wax#English"
        ]
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "enm:wax"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/waks/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/wɛks/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "wax"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "Middle English back-formations",
    "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
    "Middle English lemmas",
    "Middle English nouns",
    "Middle English uncountable nouns",
    "Middle English verbs",
    "Pages with 5 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "enm:Materials",
    "enm:Pharmacology"
  ],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "en",
            "2": "wax"
          },
          "expansion": "English: wax",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "English: wax"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "waxen",
        "id": "to grow",
        "nocap": "1",
        "t": "to grow"
      },
      "expansion": "back-formation of waxen (“to grow”)",
      "name": "back-formation"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "A back-formation of waxen (“to grow”).",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "nouns",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "wax",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "wax (uncountable)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Middle English terms with rare senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "growth, increase"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "growth",
          "growth#English"
        ],
        [
          "increase",
          "increase"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) growth, increase"
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "enm:growth"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/waks/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "wax"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
    "Middle English lemmas",
    "Middle English verbs",
    "Pages with 5 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "enm:Materials",
    "enm:Pharmacology"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 3,
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "verb"
      },
      "expansion": "wax",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "to grow",
          "word": "waxen"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of waxen (“to grow”)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "waxen",
          "waxen#Middle_English:_to_grow"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "wax"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
    "Middle English lemmas",
    "Middle English verbs",
    "Pages with 5 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "enm:Materials",
    "enm:Pharmacology"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 4,
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "verb"
      },
      "expansion": "wax",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "to wax",
          "word": "waxen"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of waxen (“to wax”)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "waxen",
          "waxen#Middle_English:_to_wax"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "wax"
}

Download raw JSONL data for wax meaning in Middle English (5.2kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Middle English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-03-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-02-21 using wiktextract (7c21d10 and f2e72e5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.