Meanings
- uncountablemedicineVernix caseosa; a fatty deposit covering the skin of newborn babies.
The cheesy stuff is called vernix, and it's a natural moisturizer that protects the baby's skin while she's in the womb.
2004, Armin A Brott, The New Father, Mitchell Beazley, published 2011, page 211 more example
But when – like Troy in the end of the film – you are presented for the first time with an angry, purple, bloody, vernix-covered, shit-smeared, breathing human being, everything changes.
2009 November 7, Sam Leith, The Guardian
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna white cheeselike protective material that covers the skin of a fetus
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Derived from Medieval Latin vernix (“varnish”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
vernix. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vernix
“vernix.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vernix. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vernix,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vernix.
Source: vernix on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.