Waxen

//ˈwæksən// adj, verb

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Grown. UK, dialectal
  2. 2
    Made of or covered with wax.

    "a waxen tablet"

  3. 3
    Of or pertaining to wax.
  4. 4
    Having the pale smooth characteristics of wax, waxlike, waxy.

    "It was hard to imagine that the broken thing had once been new; that those withered, waxen cheeks had been fresh and tinted. That her eyes had long ago glinted with laughter."

  5. 5
    Easily molded, influenced, or bent; yielding, impressible.

    "The traveller hears me now and then, ⁠And sometimes harshly will he speak: ⁠‘This fellow would make weakness weak, And melt the waxen hearts of men.’"

Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    Easily effaced, as if written in wax. rare
Adjective
  1. 1
    having the paleness of wax wordnet
  2. 2
    made of or covered with wax wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    alternative past participle of wax. alternative, archaic, form-of, participle, past
  2. 2
    plural simple present of wax form-of, obsolete, plural, present

    "And they that occupye them bene in moche ſauegarde, and hauen greate conſolacyon, and bene the readyer vnto all goodnes, the ſlower to all euyll, and yf they haue done any thing amyſe, anone euen by the ſyght of the bookes theyꝛ conſciences bene admoniſhed, and they waxen ſoꝛy ⁊ aſhamed of the facte."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English waxen, from Old English weaxen, ġeweaxen, from Proto-Germanic *wahsanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic *wahsijaną (“to wax, grow, increase”), equivalent to wax + -en (past participle ending).

Etymology 2

From Middle English waxen, from Old English weaxen, ġeweaxen, from Proto-Germanic *wahsanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic *wahsijaną (“to wax, grow, increase”), equivalent to wax + -en (past participle ending).

Etymology 3

Equivalent to wax + -en (plural simple present ending).

Etymology 4

From Middle English waxen (“made of wax”), from Old English weaxen (“waxen, made of wax”), equivalent to wax + -en (“made of”).

Next best steps

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: waxen