cerotear

A niche craft verb tied to cerote, the wax-and-pitch mixture cobblers use to coat sewing thread: el zapatero cerotea el hilo antes de coser el cuero. In Chile, it's also used for candle wax dripping down as it burns. Outside shoemaking or that regional sense, this word essentially never comes up.

• El zapatero cerotea el hilo antes de coser las suelas. — The shoemaker waxes the thread before sewing the soles.
• La vela cerotea sobre el mantel. — The candle drips wax onto the tablecloth.
• Hay que cerotear bien el hilo para que no se rompa al coser. — You have to wax the thread well so it doesn't break while sewing.

Assuming cerotear is a general word for 'to wax' anything — it's specifically tied to cerote (cobbler's wax) and, regionally, to candle wax dripping; encerar is the everyday verb for waxing surfaces.

Often confused with encerar.