noun, feminine/siʁ/plural: cires
wax; beeswax; earwax; sealing wax; taper (wax candle)
“Prenons par exemple ce morceau de cire: il vient tout fraîchement d'être tiré de la ruche, il n'a pas encore perdu la douceur du miel qu'il contenoit, il retient encore quelque chose de l'odeur des fleurs dont il a été recueilli[…]” — Let us take as an example this piece of beeswax. It has just been taken from the honeycomb, all fresh; it has not yet lost the sweetness of the honey that it held; it yet retains something of the scent of the flowers from which it was gathered […]
Inherited from Middle French cire, from Old French cire, chiere, ciere, from Latin cēra.