Beeswaxes

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A substance produced by certain insects used for various purposes like sealing and building structures in hives
2. A natural wax secreted by bees to create honeycomb and protect their colonies
3. A material that can be used in various applications, such as in cosmetics or as a sealant, derived from the secretion of honeybees

Etymology: "Beeswaxes" is the plural of "beeswax", so this covers the word's origin as well. The base word is a plain compound: "bee" joined to "wax", with a linking "s" that marks the possessive relationship, as in "bee's wax", the wax of bees. Old English "weax" is the ancient ancestor of the English word for the substance, and "bee" comes from the same Germanic stock as its counterparts in other languages. Plurals of mass nouns like "wax" are less common than singular usage, so "beeswaxes" typically refers to multiple types, batches, or sources of the substance, such as different grades or products made from it. The form itself adds no new meaning beyond the plural.

Synonyms: bee waxes, honeycomb waxes