paxwax

English edit

Alternative forms edit

packwax

Etymology edit

From Middle English paxwax, a modification of faxwax (“nuchal ligament”), from fax (“head hair”) +‎ waxen (“to grow”). See wax (“to grow”), and compare faxed.

Noun edit

paxwax (plural not attested)

(anatomy, obsolete) A strong ligament of the back of the neck in quadrupeds, connecting the back of the skull with dorsal spines of the cervical vertebrae; the nuchal ligament.

References edit

“paxwax”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Middle English edit

Noun edit

paxwax

Alternative form of faxwax