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waxen

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waxen¹

  • /ˈwæksən/

Where it comes from

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).

adjective more waxen · most waxen

  1. UK, dialectal Grown.

verb

  1. alternative, archaic, participle, past alternative past participle of wax

waxen²

  • /ˈwæksən/

Where it comes from

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

verb

  1. obsolete, plural, present plural simple present of wax 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

waxen³

  • /ˈwæksən/

Where it comes from

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

adjective more waxen · most waxen

  1. Made of or covered with wax. a waxen tablet
  2. Of or pertaining to wax.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.’
  5. rare Easily effaced, as if written in wax.

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MLA

"waxen." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/waxen. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

waxen. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/waxen

Chicago

"waxen." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/waxen.

BibTeX
@misc{waxen_2026,
  title = {waxen},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/waxen},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}