Cerumen
/səˈruː.mən/noun
A waxy substance secreted in the ear canal.
Did you know?Cerumen comes from Latin cērūmen, a term linked to cēra (“wax”), and the word preserves an old anatomical naming style where the body was described as if it were a crafted, waxed object.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
cērūmen
“earwax”
Latin
Latin
cēra
“wax”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱer-
“to heat, to burn”
Late Latin
Latin
cērūmen
“earwax”
Modern English
English
cerumen
“earwax”