Vocabulary Builder: Wax

Long Definition:

wax      /wæks/ Pronunciation Key – Show Spelled Pronunciation[waks] Pronunciation Key – Show IPA Pronunciation

–verb (used without object), waxed; waxed or (Literary) wax·en; wax·ing.

1.	to increase in extent, quantity, intensity, power, etc.: Discord waxed at an alarming rate.

2.	(of the moon) to increase in the extent of its illuminated portion before the full moon. Compare wane (def. 4).

3.	to grow or become: He waxed angry at the insinuation.

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[Origin: bef. 900; ME waxen, OE weaxan; c. G wachsen; akin to waist]

—Synonyms 1. extend, grow, lengthen, enlarge, dilate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Short Definition: to increase

Sentences:

• He waxed witty at the end of his speech and, although many laughed, they also took him less seriously.
• She could tell when her mother waxed angry because the vein on her forehead would begin to throb.
• Unlike my friends, my plants wax fat and happy when I cover them with manure.

Mnemonic:
Wax > increase; I see myself waxing my car and as I do so it begins to increase in size.