sealing wax

sealing wax

noun
a resinous preparation, soft when heated, used for sealing letters, documents, etc.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Sealing wax is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
Collins
World English Dictionary
sealing wax
 
n
a hard material made of shellac, turpentine, and pigment that softens when heated. It is used for sealing documents, parcels, letters, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

sealing wax

substance formerly in wide use for sealing letters and attaching impressions of seals to documents. In medieval times it consisted of a mixture of beeswax, Venice turpentine, and colouring matter, usually vermilion; later lac from Indonesia supplanted the beeswax. The wax was prepared by melting and stirring, and the molten mixture was poured into stick-shaped molds. The mold was then held over the envelope or document to be sealed, a candle or other flame was applied, and the resulting drop pressed with a die containing the seal

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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