Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Ear-wax; the wax-like substance secreted by numerous glands situated in the external meatus of the ear.

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

  • noun (Physiol.) The yellow, waxlike secretion from the glands of the external ear; the earwax.

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

  • noun Earwax.

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

  • noun a soft yellow wax secreted by glands in the ear canal

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[New Latin, from Latin cēra, wax; see cerate.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word cerumen.

Examples

  • The outer part of the ear canal secretes earwax, officially called cerumen, in order to trap water, dust, and bacteria.

    DIY Ear-cleaning Guide 2008

  • Ear wax, which is clinically referred to as cerumen, has many purposes which include cleaning and lubricating the ear canal, antimicrobrial properties, anti-fungal properties, and it has been suggested that it acts as an insect repellant.

    SunHerald.com: Featured Story 2009

  • Ear wax, which is clinically referred to as cerumen, has many purposes which include cleaning and lubricating the ear canal, antimicrobrial properties, anti-fungal properties, and it has been suggested that it acts as an insect repellant.

    SunHerald.com: Featured Story 2009

  • Ear wax, which is clinically referred to as cerumen, has many purposes which include cleaning and lubricating the ear canal, antimicrobrial properties, anti-fungal properties, and it has been suggested that it acts as an insect repellant.

    SunHerald.com: Featured Story 2009

  • The skincovering the outer part of the ear canalcontains special glands that produce ear wax, a sticky, waxy substance also known as cerumen which is different [...]

    2008 May | ScienceJunkies.com 2008

  • The skincovering the outer part of the ear canalcontains special glands that produce ear wax, a sticky, waxy substance also known as cerumen which is different from candle wax (paraffin).

    Ear Wax 2008

  • Rob over at Musings of a Distractible Mind was writing about ear wax -- also known as "cerumen" to those of us in the med biz -- and I was reminded of a nifty answer I came up with to one of my kids' questions several years back.

    Archive 2007-09-01 1 Dinosaur 2007

  • Rob over at Musings of a Distractible Mind was writing about ear wax -- also known as "cerumen" to those of us in the med biz -- and I was reminded of a nifty answer I came up with to one of my kids' questions several years back.

    Speaking of Ear Wax 1 Dinosaur 2007

  • 252 THE HUMAN BRAIN soft, waxy material called cerumen (see-roo'men; "wax" L), though earwax is its common name.

    The Human Brain Asimov, Isaac 1963

  • She delicately scrapes cerumen from sleeping people's ears.

    The Littlest Terrorist Marshall Moore 2011

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • Ear wax. Yuck.

    February 23, 2007

  • Dude. I thought ear wax was just called ear wax. This doesn't *sound* like it means ear wax at all. It sounds like some kind of nice blue color, or else a substance used in drugs and obtained from plants or something. Like, a dyestuff.

    Gawd, I *hope* they don't use ear wax as a dyestuff...

    February 23, 2007

  • I kid you not. This is earstuff.

    February 23, 2007

  • One of the primary ingredients of earwax is cholesterol. Indeed, I read somewhere that earwax represents the highest concentration of cholesterol anywhere in the body. Is this at all comforting to those who have been told to reduce their cholesterol levels, I wonder? Probably not.

    April 6, 2008

  • Does that mean that the cholesterol in your ears is actually siphoning it off from your bloodstream? Like, the more bacon cheeseburgers you eat, the more cerumen you produce?

    April 7, 2008

  • *feels vaguely nauseated*

    April 7, 2008