What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Paraffin vs Wax - What's the difference?

paraffin | wax |

As nouns the difference between paraffin and wax

is that paraffin is a petroleum based thin and colorless fuel oil, (kerosene in US English) while wax is beeswax.

As verbs the difference between paraffin and wax

is that paraffin is to impregnate or treat with paraffin while wax is to apply wax to (something, such as a shoe, a floor, a car, or an apple), usually to make it shiny.

As an adjective wax is

made of wax.

paraffin

English

Alternative forms

* paraffine

Noun

(wikipedia paraffin) (en noun)
  • (British) A petroleum based thin and colorless fuel oil, (kerosene in US English).
  • * 1919 ,
  • She poured paraffin on the dry floors and on the pandanus-mats, and then she set fire.
  • (chemistry) Any member of the alkane hydrocarbons.
  • paraffin wax.
  • Derived terms

    * chloroparaffin

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To impregnate or treat with paraffin
  • wax

    English

    , a kind of wax

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) .

    Noun

  • Beeswax.
  • Earwax.
  • Any oily, water-resistant substance; normally long-chain hydrocarbons, alcohols or esters.
  • Any preparation containing wax, used as a polish.
  • A phonograph record.
  • (US, dialect) A thick syrup made by boiling down the sap of the sugar maple and then cooling it.
  • (US, slang) A type of drugs with as main ingredients weed oil and butane; hash oil
  • Synonyms
    * (beeswax) beeswax * (earwax) cerumen (medical term), earwax * (polish) polish * (phonograph record) disc/disk, record
    Derived terms
    * ader wax * all wax and no wick * animal wax * anwax * baseplate wax * bayberry wax * beeswax * berry wax * bikini wax * bleached wax * blockout wax * bone wax * Born method of wax plate reconstruction * boxing wax * Brazil wax * Brazilian wax * butter of wax * California wax myrtle * candela wax * candelilla wax * candle wax * Carbowax * carding wax * carnauba wax * carving wax * car wax * casting wax * castor wax * ceresin wax * cetyl esters wax * chafe-wax, chafewax, chaff-wax, chaffwax * Chinese wax * close as wax * cobbler's wax, cobblers' wax * crystalline wax * cuticle wax * dental wax * dental inlay casting wax * dewax * earth wax, earthwax * ear wax, ear-wax, earwax * emulsifying wax * epilating wax * esparto wax * fig wax * Finnish yellow wax * fit like wax * floor wax * fossil wax * French wax * full up to dolly's wax * Geraldton wax * ghedda wax * glide wax * glitterwax * gondang wax * grafting wax * grave wax, grave-wax * greater wax moth * green wax, greenwax * grip wax * hair wax * hard wax * hot wax * hot-wax flooding * hot Hungarian wax pepper * Hungarian wax pepper * inlay casting wax * inlay casting wax, inlay pattern wax, inlay wax * insect wax * Japanese wax * Japan wax * keratin wax * kick wax * klister wax * lac wax * lad of wax, lad o' wax * lesser wax moth * lost wax * man of wax * medewax, medwax * microcrystalline wax * mind your beeswax, mind your own beeswax * mineral wax * modeling wax, modelling wax * montan wax * mortuary wax * moustache wax * myrtle wax * neat as wax * none of your beeswax * nose of wax * ouricury wax * Pacific wax myrtle * palm wax * paraffin wax, paraffin-wax * Parowax * peat wax * penetrating stain wax * petroleum wax * pisang wax * plant wax * polen wax * put on wax * release wax * rice bran wax * rough wax * scale wax * sealing-wax, sealing wax * seal-wax, sealwax * set-up wax * shellac wax * shoemakers' wax * ski wax * slack wax * soybean wax, soy wax * spermaceti wax * stick to someone like wax * surfboard wax * surf wax * * thermal wax printer * tight as wax * try-in wax * tubercle bacillus wax * unwax * utility wax * vegetable wax * virgin wax * walling wax * wax acid * wax alcohol * wax apple * wax bath * wax bean, waxbean * wax begonia * wax-berry, waxberry * wax-bill, waxbill * wax-billed * waxbird * wax bite * wax blockage * wax boot * wax-bred * wax-bush * wax-butter * wax candle * wax cap * wax-chandler * wax-chandlery, wax-chandry * wax cloth, wax-cloth, waxcloth * wax-cluster * wax-color, wax-colour * wax-comb * wax crayon * wax-creeper * wax-cup * wax cylinder * wax dip * wax doll * wax emulsion * waxen * wax end, wax-end * wax engraving * wax expansion * waxey * wax-eye * wax-farthing * wax figure * wax flower, wax-flower, waxflower * wax form * wax-gland * wax gourd * wax-hair * waxhead * wax-house * waxie * wax injection * wax injector * wax insect, wax-insect * wax jack * wax jambu * wax lancing * wax lathe * waxleaf privet * wax-leather * waxless skis * wax light, wax-light * wax-like, waxlike * wax-maker * wax-making * wax mallow, waxmallow * wax-man * wax model denture * wax-mold, wax-mould * wax moth, wax-moth * wax motor * wax museum * wax myrtle, wax-myrtle * wax-nose * wax-opal * wax painting, wax-painting * wax palm, wax-palm * wax paper, wax-paper * wax pattern * wax pear * wax pigment * wax-pine * wax-pink * wax plant, wax-plant, waxplant * wax play * wax pocket, wax-pocket * wax-pod bean * wax print * wax-proofed * wax-red * wax resist, wax-resist * wax ring * wax rose * wax-scot * wax shoe * wax-shot * wax-silver * wax size * wax stick * wax tablet * wax taper * wax test * wax-tipped bougie * wax tree, wax-tree * wax-type thermostat * wax vine * (Waxweb) * wax-weed * waxwing * wax wood * waxwork * wax-worker * wax-worm, waxworm * waxy * wax yellow * white wax * white wax tree * the whole ball of wax * wool wax * yellow wax * yellow wax pepper

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Made of wax.
  • * , chapter=10
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=He looked round the poor room, at the distempered walls, and the bad engravings in meretricious frames, the crinkly paper and wax flowers on the chiffonier; and he thought of a room like Father Bryan's, with panelling, with cut glass, with tulips in silver pots, such a room as he had hoped to have for his own.}}
    Synonyms
    * waxen
    Derived terms
    See

    Verb

    (es)
  • To apply wax to (something, such as a shoe, a floor, a car, or an apple), usually to make it shiny.
  • To remove hair at the roots from (a part of the body) by coating the skin with a film of wax that is then pulled away sharply.
  • (informal) To defeat utterly.
  • (slang) To kill, especially to murder a person.
  • *
  • * 2009 , and (w), Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: City of Night , ISBN 9780553593334, page 106:
  • "You telling me you know who really waxed him and your mom?" / "Yeah," she lied. / "Just who pulled the trigger or who ordered it to be pulled?"
  • (transitive, archaic, usually, of a musical or oral performance) To record.
  • Synonyms
    * (apply wax to) polish * (to make smooth and shiny by rubbing) buff, shine, polish, furbish, burnish * bump off, knock off, whack
    Derived terms
    * waxed * waxen * waxer * waxing * wax up

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) (m), from (etyl) , (etyl) (m). It is in its turn cognate with (m). See .

    Verb

  • To increasingly assume the specified characteristic, become.
  • *
  • To grow.
  • * 1602 , (William Shakespeare), , act 1, sc. 3, lines 11-14,
  • For nature, crescent, does not grow alone / In thews and bulks, but, as this temple waxes , / The inward service of the mind and soul / Grows wide withal.
  • *{{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Michael Arlen), title= “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days, chapter=Ep./1/1
  • , passage=And so it had always pleased M. Stutz to expect great things from the dark young man whom he had first seen in his early twenties?; and his expectations had waxed rather than waned on hearing the faint bruit of the love of Ivor and Virginia—for Virginia, M. Stutz thought, would bring fineness to a point in a man like Ivor Marlay, […].}}
  • To appear larger each night as a progression from a new moon to a full moon.
  • Usage notes
    * Older forms are: 2nd per. sing, waxest (label), 3rd per. sing. waxeth (label), and plural form wexen (label). * Alternative simple past form is wex (label) and the alternative past participle is waxen (label).
    Synonyms
    * (to assume specified characteristic) become
    Antonyms
    * (grow) wane * (of the moon) wane
    Derived terms
    * outwax * over-wax, overwax * thorough-wax, thoroughwax, thorow-wax * through-waxen * unwax * wax and wane * wax forth * wax in age * wax in eld * wax lyrical * wax poetic * wax to man's estate * wax wode

    Noun

    (-)
  • (rare) The process of growing.
  • Derived terms
    * wax-kernel * waxless

    Etymology 3

    probably from phrases like (term), (wax wode), and similar (see Etymology 2, above).

    Noun

    (es)
  • (dated, colloquial) An outburst of anger.
  • * 1970 , John Glassco, Memoirs of Montparnasse , New York 2007, page 161:
  • ‘That's him to a T,’ she would murmur; or, ‘Just wait till he reads this’; or, ‘Ah, won't that put him in a wax !’
    Derived terms
    * waxy