paraffin wax
1
4.3
- noun
- /ˈpærəfɪn wæks/
:
cera de parafina
- Described in a study published in the Nov. 16 issue of the journal Science, the new artificial muscles are made by infiltrating a volume-changing "guest," such as the paraffin wax used for candles, into twisted yarn made of carbon nanotubes.
- paraffin wax treatment
- paraffin wax dip
Examples
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Paraffin wax is often used to make paraffin wax candles because of its smooth texture and ability to hold fragrance.
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The artist created intricate sculptures by melting and molding paraffin wax into captivating shapes.
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Alternatively, the skin tissue can be embedded in paraffin wax and examined in sections under a fluorescent microscope.
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The rest was turned into lubricating oil, petroleum Jelly, paraffin wax, and even tar for paving roads.
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Thankfully though, paraffin wax is technically edible and non-toxic, so we're not dealing with any lead or mercury flavored situations at this point.
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University of Texas Dallas researchers have made artificial muscles from carbon nanotube yarns that have been infiltrated with paraffin wax and twisted until coils form along their length.
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Many beauty salons offer paraffin wax treatments to help moisturize and soothe dry skin.
Synonyms
187
2.8
A solid natural material that bees make, used to make candles and polish things
5
4.8
A white or colorless wax used to make candles and protect things from water
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward compound of a material name plus the general category 'wax' so a learner who knows 'paraffin' and 'wax' can infer it denotes a specific kind of wax (used for candles/coatings). The construction is compositional and cross-linguistically common, so the meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Paraffin wax is a hard, smooth wax made from oil found deep underground. The word paraffin points to its oil origin and wax shows it is a solid people melt and pour to make 'candles' or to coat things to 'preserve' them.