cerumen

From Medieval Latin caerūmen, from cera +‎ -men. The appearance of the u is unexplained, but may have been influenced by words like albūmen and bitūmen.

• (US) IPA^(key): /səˈɹuːmɛn/
  • (US) IPA^(key): /səˈɹuːmɪn/ (pin–pen merger)
• Rhymes: -ɛn

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

  • (pin-pen merger) Rhymes: -ɪn

cerumen (uncountable)

1. earwax

• earwax, wax

• cerumenolysis
• cerumenolytic
• ceruminal
• ceruminous

Borrowed from Medieval Latin caerūmen.

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [səˈɾu.mən]
• IPA^(key): (Valencian) [seˈɾu.men]

cerumen m (uncountable)

1. earwax

   Synonym: cera de les orelles

• ceruminós

• “cerumen” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Borrowed from French cérumen, from Latin cerumen.

cerumen n (uncountable)

1. cerumen

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /θeˈɾumen/ [θeˈɾu.mẽn]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America) /seˈɾumen/ [seˈɾu.mẽn]
• Rhymes: -umen
• Syllabification: ce‧ru‧men

cerumen m (plural cerumenes)

1. earwax

• “cerumen”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014