Waxing
/ˈwæk.sɪŋ/noun
Growing or increasing in size, amount, or intensity; in astronomy, the moon’s illuminated portion is increasing.
Did you know?In Old English, the moon was described as “waxing” and “waning” using words that originally meant growing and diminishing, so the sky itself was imagined in a rhythm of increase and decline.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂wegʷ-
“to increase, be strong”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*wahsanan
“to grow, increase”
Old English
English
weaxan
“to grow, increase, thrive”
Middle English
English
waxen
“to grow, become larger”
Modern English
English
waxing
“growing, increasing; the moon appearing to grow fuller”