The word “sincere” originates from the Latin word, “sine cere” which is said to contain the meaning of “without wax.”

How did the phrase “without wax” give birth to the word “sincere”?

In ancient Europe, ceramics were a highly valuable good. In order to make a fine ceramic, it was critical to have no cracks. Ceramic with even the smallest crack lead to its value plummeting. But there was a way to completely hide cracks of ceramics.