English Explanatory Dictionary

borax

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A white or gray/grey crystalline salt, with a slight alkaline taste, used as a flux, in soldering metals, making enamels, fixing colors/colours on porcelain, and as a soap, etc.
  2. The sodium salt of boric acid, Na₂B₄O₇, either anhydrous or with 5 or 10 molecules of water of crystallization; sodium tetraborate.
  3. Cheap or tawdry furniture or other works of industrial design.
verb
  1. To treat with borax.

Pronunciation

/ˈbɔː.ɹæks/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-borax.wav /ˈbɔɹ.æks/

Word forms

borax boraxes boraces boraxing boraxed

Etymology

Etymology tree Middle Persian *bōragbor. Arabic بَوْرَق (bawraq)der. Medieval Latin boraxder. Anglo-Norman boreisbor. Middle English boras English borax From Middle English boras, from Anglo-Norman boreis, from Medieval Latin borax, baurach (“borax”), from Arabic بَوْرَق (bawraq), from Middle Persian bwlk' (bōrag), which yielded Persian بوره (bure).

Synonyms

E285 when used as a preservative

Derived words

boracic boraciferous boracium borax bead test borise borize boron poke borax unboraxed
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