carnauba

[ kahr-nou-buh, -naw-, -noo- ]

noun

1. a palm, Copernicia prunifera, of Brazil, having palmate leaves covered with wax.
2. Also called carnauba wax. the hard, lustrous wax obtained from the leaves of this tree, used as a polish or floor wax.

carnauba

/ kɑːˈnaʊbə /

noun

1. Also calledwax palm a Brazilian fan palm, Copernicia cerifera
2. Also calledcarnauba wax the wax obtained from the young leaves of this tree, used esp as a polish

Word History and Origins

Origin of carnauba¹

1850–55; < Brazilian Portuguese < Tupi karanaʾiwa

Word History and Origins

Origin of carnauba¹

from Brazilian Portuguese, probably of Tupi origin

Example Sentences

This is the culmination of several months of secret on-the-ground investigations into working conditions in the carnauba wax industry.

From BBC

Standard American chocolate sprinkles have almost no chocolate, and are coated with carnauba wax, harvested from leaves of Brazilian carnauba palms.

From Seattle Times

People allergic to propolis may also react to balsam of Peru, carnauba wax or fragrances.

From Seattle Times

According to a now-archived blog post by the university, after an hour, "all that remained in the beaker was a pair of brown carnauba wax eyes floating in a purple Phenol soup."

From Salon

The company said it had helped start an initiative to improve working conditions in production of carnauba wax, and now uses only beeswax.

From New York Times