forwax

Etymology

From Middle English forwaxen, from Old English forweaxan (“to progress, grow too much, become overgrown”), equivalent to for- + wax (“to grow, increase”). Cognate with German verwachsen (“to grow together, heal over, overgrow”).

Why this word is great

FORWAX — [Verb] To grow to excess; become huge; overgrow; swell. From Middle English forwaxen, from Old English forweaxan ("to progress, grow too much, become overgrown"), equivalent to for- ("excessively") + wax ("to grow, increase"). Cognate with German verwachsen ("to grow together, heal over, overgrow"). Unlike "overwax" (which imposes growth upon another) or "swell" (which implies temporary distension), forwax is the quiet tyranny of unchecked expansion—the blackberry bramble swallowing a fence, the ivy strangling a church spire, or the way a childhood fear, left unspoken, thickens in the dark until it presses against the ribs. It is the slow, inevitable victory of time over intention, growth as both conquest and burden.

verb

  1. To grow to excess; become huge; overgrow; swell.“Horrible gret was, A forwoxen grome, Such Another neuer had he sain.”