wax
wax — 名詞
1. a natural or artificial soft, solid material that melts when you heat it, used t
蠟
加熱會融化的固態材料，做蠟燭、亮光劑等
a natural or artificial soft, solid material that melts when you heat it, used to make candles, polish surfaces, and shape into objects such as models or seals
The art teacher melted blue wax and poured it into a star-shaped mold.
美術老師把藍色的蠟融化後，倒入星星形狀的模具裡給孩子們。
melted wax + pour into mold to shape objects
A thin layer of wax protects the wooden table from water rings and scratches.
木頭餐桌上薄薄一層蠟可以防止水漬和刮痕。
layer of wax protects surface
Felix lit a beeswax candle and placed it in the middle of the dinner table.
Felix 點了一根蜂蠟蠟燭，放在餐桌的正中央。
Museum workers apply a special wax to old stone statues to prevent them from cracking.
博物館的工作人員在古老的石像上塗了一層特殊的蠟，防止石像龜裂。
文法句型
wax + noun (compound: wax candle, wax seal)
用法筆記
Uncountable in the general substance sense. Countable when referring to a specific type: 'many different waxes are used in cosmetics.'
常見錯誤
2. a sticky, pale-yellow or brown material that forms naturally inside a person's e
耳垢
耳朵內部自然產生的黃色黏性物質
a sticky, pale-yellow or brown material that forms naturally inside a person's ear canal and helps keep the ear clean and free of dust or small insects
The doctor looked inside Tara's ear and found wax blocking the ear canal.
醫生檢查了 Tara 的耳朵，發現耳垢堵塞了耳道。
ear wax + blocks the ear canal
Ear wax helps protect the inner ear from dust and small insects.
耳垢有助於保護內耳，避免灰塵和小蟲進入。
Omar used ear drops to soften the wax in his ears before rinsing them out.
Omar 用了耳滴劑來軟化耳朵裡的耳垢，然後再把它沖洗出來。
Gita visited the clinic because ear wax buildup made it hard for her to hear.
Gita 去診所就醫，因為耳垢累積讓她聽不太清楚。
- earwax
same meaning; more common as a single compound word in medical writing
文法句型
ear wax / earwax
用法筆記
Often written as one word 'earwax' in medical contexts. The two-word form 'ear wax' is more common in everyday speech.
wax — 動詞
- waxpresent simple I / you / we / they
- waxes3rd person singular
- waxing-ing form
- waxedpast simple
1. to cover or rub a surface with wax in order to polish it, protect it, or make it
上蠟
在表面塗蠟以達到保護或光亮效果
to cover or rub a surface with wax in order to polish it, protect it, or make it shine
Ava waxes the wooden floors of her house every spring until they gleam like mirrors.
Ava 每年春天都會幫家裡木頭地板上蠟，讓地板亮得像鏡子一樣。
wax + floor — regular maintenance for shine
Gabriel spent the whole afternoon waxing his car to protect the paint from winter rain.
Gabriel 花了一整個下午幫車子上蠟，保護烤漆不受冬雨侵蝕。
Zayd waxed the old wooden desk until every scratch disappeared beneath the glossy shine.
Zayd 在那張舊木桌上上了蠟，刮痕全被光澤蓋住了。
Before the race, the skier waxed the bottom of his skis to slide faster.
比賽前，滑雪選手在滑雪板底部塗上蠟，讓滑行速度更快。
- scuff
to make a surface dirty or scratched, the opposite of polishing
文法句型
wax + noun (surface or object)
用法筆記
The object is always the surface being treated, not the wax itself. 'Wax the car' (correct) vs 'wax the polish' (incorrect).
常見錯誤
2. to remove unwanted hairs from a part of the body by spreading warm sticky wax on
除毛
用熱蠟敷在皮膚上再撕除，達到去毛效果
to remove unwanted hairs from a part of the body by spreading warm sticky wax onto the skin, placing a cloth strip on top, and then pulling the strip off quickly so the hairs come out with it
Alessia goes to the beauty salon every month to wax her legs and underarms.
Alessia 每個月去美容沙龍用蠟除腿毛和腋毛。
wax + body part for hair removal
The beautician warmed the wax carefully before spreading it onto the client's arm.
美容師先把蠟加熱，再小心地塗在顧客的手臂上。
Ife gasped when the beautician pulled the warm wax strip off her arm.
Ife 在蠟條被撕下來的時候叫了一聲，但疼痛很快就消失了。
Some people prefer waxing over shaving because the hair takes longer to grow back.
有些人比較喜歡用蠟除毛而不是刮毛，因為毛長回來的速度比較慢。
文法句型
wax + body part
get + body part + waxed
用法筆記
Common in the 'get + object + past participle' pattern: 'I got my legs waxed.' The person performing the waxing is a beautician or aesthetician.
3. the moon is said to be waxing when the portion visible from Earth grows larger n
漸滿
月亮從缺逐漸變圓的過程
the moon is said to be waxing when the portion visible from Earth grows larger night by night, until it reaches a full circle
Each clear night the waxing moon appeared a little bigger in the sky.
月亮逐漸盈滿，每到晴朗的夜晚，它在天空中看起來就更大一些。
the moon waxes — grows larger each night
During the waxing phase, the moon moves from a thin crescent toward a full circle.
在月盈期間，月亮從細細的彎月逐漸變成完整的圓月。
Old farmers planted seeds when the moon began to wax, believing it helped crops grow.
老農夫們在月亮開始變圓的時候播種，相信這樣能幫助作物生長。
Tara watched the waxing moon through her telescope every night for two full weeks.
Tara 連續兩個星期每晚都用望遠鏡觀察漸漸盈滿的月亮。
- wane
the exact opposite — when the moon wanes, it appears smaller each night; a frequently paired antonym
文法句型
the moon waxes
wax + duration phrase
用法筆記
Almost exclusively used for the moon in modern English. The opposite is 'wane.' The pair 'wax and wane' is a common fixed expression describing cyclical growth and decline of anything (not just the moon).
常見錯誤
4. to begin speaking or writing in a particular descriptive style, such as with poe
暢談
用某種熱情或情感方式說話或寫作
to begin speaking or writing in a particular descriptive style, such as with poetic, eloquent, or emotional language
The film critic waxed lyrical about the director's latest movie, calling it a true masterpiece.
影評人對那位導演的最新電影讚不絕口，稱它為真正的傑作。
waxed lyrical — speak with enthusiasm
Grandfather waxed poetic whenever he talked about his childhood days in the old village.
爺爺每次談到他在老村莊裡度過的童年時光，都會說得興致高昂。
The best man waxed eloquent about how the couple first met in college.
在婚宴上，伴郎滔滔不絕地描述這對情侶在大學時初次相遇的情景。
Alessia waxed lyrical about the street food during the entire walk back to the hotel.
回飯店的整段路上，Alessia 一直興致勃勃地誇讚路邊小吃。
- hold forth
to speak at length about a topic, often with strong opinions; slightly negative connotation of talking too much
- enthuse
to show great excitement or interest in something; more direct and less literary than wax lyrical
- rhapsodize
to speak or write with great enthusiasm; even more formal and literary than wax lyrical
文法句型
wax + adjective (lyrical, poetic, eloquent)
用法筆記
Always followed by an adjective describing the style of speaking or writing. The most common collocations are 'wax lyrical' and 'wax poetic.' 'Wax eloquent' is less frequent but also accepted. Rarely used in everyday casual conversation; belongs to more formal or literary registers. Contrast with sense 5 (BECOME GRADUALLY): sense 4 requires the subject to be speaking or writing, and the adjective describes HOW they speak; sense 5 describes BECOMING a quality or state, regardless of whether speech is involved.
常見錯誤
5. to gradually take on a particular quality or state, without necessarily involvin
漸變
逐漸進入某種品質、心情或狀態
to gradually take on a particular quality or state, without necessarily involving speech
As the discussion grew more heated, her voice waxed louder and more impatient.
隨著討論越來越激烈，她的聲音也變得更大聲、更不耐煩。
wax + adjective — become gradually
The power of the storm waxed fiercer as it moved across the ocean.
暴風雨在海面上移動時，威力變得越來越猛烈。
waxed fiercer — gradual increase of intensity
The sea waxed turbulent as the storm approached from the east.
暴風雨從東邊逼近時，海面變得波濤洶湧。
Her patience waxed thin while the meeting dragged past the two-hour mark without a break.
會議拖了兩個多小時都沒休息，她的耐心逐漸耗盡。
文法句型
wax + adjective (indignant, nostalgic, philosophical)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 4 (SPEAK STYLED) by this rule: sense 4 describes the STYLE of someone's speech or writing — the adjective tells you HOW they speak (lyrical, poetic, eloquent). Sense 5 describes entering a STATE or QUALITY — the adjective tells you WHAT someone or something BECOMES (louder, thinner, fiercer). If you can substitute 'speak in a __ manner,' it belongs to sense 4. If the meaning is simply 'become __' and speech is not required, it belongs to sense 5. Some adjectives like 'nostalgic' or 'philosophical' can fit either pattern depending on context and the subject. This sense is mostly found in formal or literary English.