Today we’re going to be looking at the word cera, which means wax or polish. It comes from the Latin cera of the same meaning and spelling.
Cera is a feminine noun, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles:
la cera
the wax
una cera
a wax
le cere
the waxes
delle cere
(some) waxes
Note: Although the pronunciation is identical, cera should not be confused with c’era, which means “there was” (ci + era).
Some different kinds of cera include:
- cera d’api = beeswax
- cera di candela = candle wax
- cera da scarpe = shoe polish
- cera da / per pavimenti = floor polish
- cera vegetale = vegetable wax
La cera è un prodotto naturale meraviglioso che può essere usato in mille modi.
Wax is a wonderful natural product that can be used in a thousand ways.
The term cerume, which is a derivative of cera, refers to both earwax and the hardened melted wax from a candle. The diminutive ceretta, on the other hand, is the sticky substance used for hair removal.
The most straightforward way of translating the verb to wax is cerare, but you can also use the following alternative expressions:
- dare la cera (a qualcosa) = to wax (something)
- lucidare (qualcosa) con la cera = to polish (something) with wax
- passare la cera (su qualcosa) = to rub wax (onto something)
In some cases, cera can also translate as waxwork, as in the terms modello di cera (waxwork figure) and museo delle cere (waxwork museum).
Siamo andati a visitare il museo delle cere.
We went to visit the wax museum.
Interestingly, cera also has the figurative meaning of appearance or look. If someone says that you have una brutta cera (lit. an ugly wax), the implication is that you have a pale, sickly appearance. This figurative meaning can likely be attributed to the pasty appearance of wax.
Idioms featuring the word ‘cera’
Fare buona cera a qualcuno
Literal translation: to do a good wax to someone
English meaning: to give someone a warm welcome
Essere attaccato con la cera
Literal translation: to be attached with wax
English meaning: to be loosely attached
Struggersi come la cera
Literal translation: to melt like wax
English meaning: to be consumed quickly, to lose weight visibly due to illness or some other reason
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
