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carnauba
(redirected from carnaubas)

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Hutchinson 0.06 sec.
carnauba (kärnô`bə, –nou`–), wax wax, substance secreted by glands on the abdomen of the bee and known commonly as beeswax; also various substances resembling beeswax. Waxes are mixtures comprising chiefly esters of monohydroxy alcohols, besides other esters and free fatty acids, free alcohols, and
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 obtained from the wax palm, or carnauba (Copernicia cerifera), of Brazil. It is secreted by the leaves, apparently in defense against the hot winds and droughts of its native habitat, and the resultant coating is removed by drying and flailing. The hardest, highest-melting natural wax known, its many commercial uses include the production of polishes, lubricants, and floor waxes. A similar wax is obtained from the trunk of Ceroxylon andicola, the wax palm of the Andes.


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