Sincere means without wax
| Sincere means without wax | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "The word "sincere" comes from the Latin "sine cera," "without wax," because honest sculptors sold statues without wax hiding the flaws." | |
| Domain | Language, Folklore & Urban Legends |
| Tactic | Fabrication |
| Era | Historical |
| First seen | 19th century |
| Origin | A folk etymology repeated in sermons, speeches and self-help books |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
| Further reading: books on Language, Folklore & Urban Legends | |
The story that "sincere" means "without wax" is a charming but false etymology. The English word comes from the Latin sincerus, meaning clean, pure or whole. Linguists find no evidence for a "sine cera" origin, and the sculptor story was invented to fit it.
The claim
Dishonest sculptors supposedly filled cracks with wax, so honest ones advertised their work as "sine cera."
What the evidence shows
- Latin root. Sincerus was an established Latin adjective whose exact origin is uncertain, but it did not derive from sine cera.
- Dictionaries. The Oxford English Dictionary and other etymological references reject the wax story.
Sources
- Oxford English Dictionary, "sincere."
- Online Etymology Dictionary, "sincere."