Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
BORAX
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English boras, from Anglo-French boreis, from Medieval Latin borac-, borax, from Arabic būraq, from Persian būrah
Date: 14th century
a white crystalline compound that consists of a hydrated sodium borate Na 2 B 4 O 7 10H 2 O, that occurs as a mineral or is prepared from other minerals, and that is used especially as a flux, cleansing agent, and water softener, as a preservative, and as a fireproofing agent,
II. noun
Etymology: origin unknown
Date: 1932
cheap shoddy merchandise