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Glite Dictionary
earwax

earwax

6 1.8
A yellowish, waxy substance in the ear that protects and cleans it
  • noun
  • /ˈɪrˌwæks/
: cerumen
  • So, what do you guys think of the earwax?
  • earwax buildup
  • remove earwax
  • earwax removal

Definitely get an ear cleaning because your ears get so dirty and it gets so it gets so soft with earwax and shit and like you don't even notice it.

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Examples

  • And that means they can move on to stage two... collecting enough earwax to make a candle.

    Trigger Man (2007)

  • It's not earwax, it's dirt.

    Minari (2021)

  • So pulling that open, look at that a little bit of earwax right there.

  • When no one's around, I dig and dig at my earwax, then examine it.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • On average, the normal pH of earwax is 6.9, which is slightly on the acidic side.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Owing, no doubt, to a buildup of earwax, he had heard the word "Quidditch," which was not a word at all.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • A local ear, nose, and throat doctor got us enough earwax—this is from hundreds of patients—to make a candle.

    Blog text (1)

  • We found no statistically significant difference in the incidence of impacted cerumen or the amount of earwax among the three ethnic groups represented in our study—Malays, Indians, and Chinese.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Every day or two, you may see a little earwax in the opening of the ear canal.

  • Your body normally makes a small amount of earwax that gradually makes its way out of the ear canal.

Synonyms

cerumen
vsearwax
  • Specialized
1 9.4

A soft yellow wax in the ear that protects the ear but can block hearing if there is too much

is the everyday, nontechnical name used by ordinary people for that wax

Surface Forms

earwax singular
earwaxes plural

Morphology

earwax = ear + wax (transparent) = ear + wax

Direct compound of 'ear' + 'wax' meaning the waxy substance found in the ear; readily inferable by learners.

Etymology

Earwax is simply the words ear and wax put together. The part wax meant 'a sticky, fatty substance' like candle wax or beeswax, so earwax is the wax-like material in your ear that protects it and keeps it clean.