Ceriferous

Ceriferous is an adjective used to describe organisms, tissues, or substances that bear or secrete waxy materials. The form derives from Latin cera, wax, combined with the suffix -ferous, meaning bearing. In modern scientific writing the term is uncommon and typically found in older natural history, botany, or anatomical descriptions. When precision is needed, writers prefer wax-secreting, wax-bearing, or ceruminous in more specific contexts.

In zoology or anatomy, ceriferous can refer to glands that produce waxy secretions or to surfaces coated with wax-like substances that serve protective or moisturizing functions. In botany or paleobotany, the term historically appeared to describe plant tissues or surfaces adorned with a waxy coating, sometimes described as ceriferous cuticle or ceriferous scales. In scholarly or historical literature, you may also encounter descriptions of specimens noted for a wax-like sheen or deposition described as ceriferous.

Noting its rarity in contemporary usage, the term is generally replaced by more precise phrases. It is not to be confused with ceraceous, which means waxy in appearance, or ceruminous, describing true wax-producing glands.