Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wax” come from?

Wax comes from Old English weaxan, from Proto-Germanic wahsijaną, from Proto-Indo-European h₂weg-, ultimately from the root h₂ug-.

wax (English): Beeswax; Earwax; Any oily, water-resistant...

Definitions

  1. Beeswax; Earwax; Any oily, water-resistant...

Ancestry of “wax”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwax—
2Old Englishweaxwax
3Proto-West Germanicwahs—
4Proto-Germanicwahsąwax
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwoḱ-so-—

Words derived from “wax”

  • waxwork
  • waxeth
  • waxwing
  • waxlike
  • dewaxing
  • candlewax
  • waxer
  • waxbill
  • waxless
  • waxworm
  • waxberry
  • waxflower
  • waxworker
  • waxest
  • rewax
  • dewax
  • waxable
  • overwax
  • waxplant
  • hydrodewaxing
  • wax poetic
  • grave wax
  • grafting wax
  • earthwax
Every word from Proto-Indo-European woḱ-so- →