waxy

See also: waxie

English

Pronunciation

  • enPR: wăkʹsē, IPA(key): /ˈwæksi/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Rhymes: -æksi

Etymology 1

From Middle English waxi, wexy, equivalent to wax (soft oily substance) +‎ -y.

Adjective

waxy (comparative waxier or more waxy, superlative waxiest or most waxy)

  1. Resembling wax in texture or appearance.
    Synonym: ceraceous
    • 2023 September 6, Luke Winkie, “Our Greatest Fast-Food Joint Is Costco”, in Slate[1], archived from the original on 6 September 2023:
      There's far more than just hot dogs to feast on too. The pizzas—gigantic, floppy, with a hyperreal waxy sheen—are mythic. They arrive exclusively in cheese, pepperoni, or supreme—the holy trinity—and will run you an eminently affordable $1.99 for a ridiculously huge wedge-shaped slice.
  2. (of potatoes) Low in starch; tending to remain firm when cooked.
    Antonym: floury
    • 1898, William Mattieu Williams, The Chemistry of Cookery, page 189:
      As we all know, there are great differences among potatoes; some are waxy, others floury; and these, again, vary according to the manner and degree of cooking.
Derived terms
Translations

Noun

waxy (plural waxies)

  1. (UK, obsolete, slang) A cobbler (shoe repairer).
    Synonym: lad of wax
Alternative forms

Etymology 2

From wax (fit of anger) +‎ -y.

Adjective

waxy (comparative more waxy, superlative most waxy)

  1. (regional, colloquial) Angry.