Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Resembling wax in appearance or texture, as in being pale, pliable, or smooth and lustrous.
  • adjective Consisting of, abounding in, or covered with wax.
  • adjective Containing amyloid deposits, as a bodily organ.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Angry; wrathy; irate.
  • Resembling wax or putty in appearance, softness, plasticity, adhesiveness, or other properties; waxen; hence, pliable; yielding; impressionable.
  • Specifically Noting certain complexions.
  • Made of wax; abounding in wax; waxed: as, a waxy dressing for leather
  • A change of parts of the muscular fibers into a peculiar hyaline substance, which differs from lardacein; it occurs in certain cases of typhoid fever, meningitis, and other acute febrile disorders.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Resembling wax in appearance or consistency; viscid; adhesive; soft; hence, yielding; pliable; impressible.
  • adjective (Med.) amyloid degeneration. See under Amyloid.
  • adjective (Med.) a kidney or liver affected by waxy degeneration.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective regional, colloquial Angry.
  • adjective Resembling wax in texture or appearance.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective capable of being bent or flexed or twisted without breaking
  • adjective made of or covered with wax
  • adjective easily impressed or influenced
  • adjective having the paleness of wax

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From wax (“fit of anger”) +‎ -y.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From wax (“soft oily substance”) +‎ -y.

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Examples

  • • Sticky rice, also called waxy, glutinous, or sweet rice, is a short-grain type whose starch is practically all amylopectin.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • • Sticky rice, also called waxy, glutinous, or sweet rice, is a short-grain type whose starch is practically all amylopectin.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • You are aware that there is a substance, called waxy matter, which is deposited in the tissues of the body during the course of certain diseases.

    The Stark Munro Letters Arthur Conan Doyle 1894

  • You are aware that there is a substance, called waxy matter, which is deposited in the tissues of the body during the course of certain diseases.

    The Stark Munro Letters 1894

  • (AP) -- Kellogg Co. is voluntarily recalling about 28 million boxes of Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Froot Loops and Honey Smacks cereals, saying a "waxy" smell and flavor coming from the package liners could make people sick, the company said Friday.

    Kellogg Recall 2010: 28 Million Boxes Of Cereal Pulled For Off Odor (DETAILS) 2010

  • For example, some plants in this ecoregion have anatomical or physiological modifications such as waxy surfaces on their leaves to reflect heat, hairs to protect against radiation, or tightly furled rosettes of leaves which secrete chemicals making them more resistant to fire.

    Campos Rupestres montane savanna 2007

  • As a general thing, when the cows were fed upon cotton-seed the butter was white and "waxy," this was yellow and firm.

    Memories A Record of Personal Experience and Adventure During Four Years of War Fannie A. Beers

  • He is entertained by an eminent Dutch jurist in Amsterdam -- and upon the pages of the chronicle it appears that the gentleman is "waxy" and "a little pedantic," and that he is probably the sort of "thin, delicate, well barbered" professor that Ibsen had in mind when he cast about for a husband for the daughter of General Gabler.

    A Book of Prefaces 1918

  • A: A self-regulated fatty substance (19) (also called a waxy alcohol (7) or waxy substance (34), or fatty alcohol (45), primarily made by the liver

    Is cholesterol dangerous? 2009

  • Pops, Froot Loops and Honey Smacks cereals, saying a "waxy" smell and flavor coming from the package liners could make people sick, the company said Friday.

    CBS 4 - South Florida's Source for Breaking News, Weather, and Sports 2010

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