waxes: gets larger, grows
wanes: gets smaller, diminishes in size
The terms are most familiarly used to refer to the phases of the moon. The moon is said to be waxing when is goes from new moon to full moon, and after the full moon we say it wanesuntil it reaches the end of the cycle at the next new moon.
Waxes and wanes
waxes.His political popularity waxes and wanes according to fickleness of the electorate.
The Moon's phase starts at the new moon as it waxes and then wanes, so the mid point will be the full moon.
to wane: waned (like the moon grows larger when it waxes and as it wanes it grows smaller.)
As the Spirit Wanes was created on 2011-01-18.
the moon waxes (gets full) and wanes (gets thin) because of the position of its 28 day orbit around the earth. The as the moon orbits, the sun reflects off more or less of it, so you see more or less of it.
The earth casts a shadow upon the moon. As the position of the moon at night changes over a monthly schedule. This is why the moon waxes and wanes. And why when the moon is directly between the earth and the sun you can an eclipse. Where as at peak when there is no shadow you get a full moon.
Waxes
Both of these are English words used in everyday conversation by regular people, but much more in the past than in today's English. Their plain, everyday meaning is directly applicable to the appearance of the moon as it goes through its phases. 'Waxing' . . . growing, becoming larger or fuller as time goes on. 'Waning' . . . shrinking, becoming smaller or skinnier as time goes on.
The 29-day lunar cycle begins with the New Moon, and "waxes" or increases the illuminated part for 14.5 days until the Full moon. Then it "wanes" as the illuminated area of the Moon decreases until the next new moon.
u find waxes in nature by finding them
wanes