Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A solid, usually cylindrical mass of tallow, wax, or other fatty substance with an axially embedded wick that is burned to provide light.
- noun Something resembling this object in shape or use.
- noun Physics An obsolete unit of luminous intensity, originally defined in terms of a wax candle with standard composition, later in terms of a carbon-filament lamp, and superseded by the candela.
- transitive verb To examine (an egg) for freshness or fertility by holding it before a bright light.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A taper; a cylindrical body of tallow, wax, spermaceti, or other fatty material, formed on a wick composed of linen or cotton threads woven or twisted loosely, or (as formerly) of the pith of a rush, and used as a source of artificial light.
- noun One candle-power: used as a standard of comparison. See
candle-power . - noun In sodamanuf., a name given to the jets of sulphureted hydrogen and carbonic oxid which escape from various parts of the roasted mixture of sodium sulphate, coal, and limestone, during the process of manufacture.
- To examine (an egg) in an egg-tester by means of a lighted candle to determine its freshness. See
egg-candling .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A slender, cylindrical body of tallow, containing a wick composed of loosely twisted linen of cotton threads, and used to furnish light.
- noun That which gives light; a luminary.
- noun the fruit of a euphorbiaceous shrub (
Aleurites triloba ), a native of some of the Pacific islands; -- socalled because, when dry, it will burn with a bright flame, and is used by the natives as a candle. The oil has many uses. - noun (Photom.) illuminating power, as of a lamp, or gas flame, reckoned in terms of the light of a standard candle.
- noun A modification of the electric arc lamp, in which the carbon rods, instead of being placed end to end, are arranged side by side, and at a distance suitable for the formation of the arc at the tip; -- called also, from the name of the inventor,
Jablockoff candle . - noun a form of excommunication in which the offender is allowed time to repent only while a candle burns.
- noun not worth the cost or trouble.
- noun a candle made of the pith of certain rushes, peeled except on one side, and dipped in grease.
- noun an auction in which persons are allowed to bid only till a small piece of candle burns out.
- noun (Photom.) a special form of candle employed as a standard in photometric measurements; usually, a candle of spermaceti so constructed as to burn at the rate of 120 grains, or 7.8 grams, per hour.
- noun See under
Bell .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
light source consisting of a wick embedded in a solid, flammable substance such aswax ,tallow , orparaffin . - noun The protruding, removable portion of a
filter , particularly a water filter. - noun obsolete A unit of
luminous intensity , now replaced by theSI unitcandela . - noun forestry a fast growing, light colored, upward-growing shoot on a
pine tree in the spring. As growth slows in summer, the shoot darkens and is no longer highlighted to one’s view. - verb embryology To observe the growth of an
embryo inside anegg , using a bright light source. - verb pottery To dry
greenware prior to beginning of the firing cycle, setting the kiln at 200° Celsius until all water is removed from the greenware. - verb To check an item (such as an envelope) by holding it between a light souce and the eye.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb examine eggs for freshness by holding them against a light
- noun the basic unit of luminous intensity adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites; equal to 1/60 of the luminous intensity per square centimeter of a black body radiating at the temperature of 2,046 degrees Kelvin
- noun stick of wax with a wick in the middle
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word candle.
Examples
-
Suppose I take a taper or candle (we can now be liberal in our use of the word candle, since we understand what it means), and place it in one of the tubes; it will go on, you see, burning very well.
-
In the school, no time in the year, they shall use tallow candle, in no wise, but _only wax candle_, at the costs of their friends.
Bibliomania; or Book-Madness A Bibliographical Romance Thomas Frognall Dibdin 1811
-
_] We must put out the whole world as I put out this candle [_he puts out candle_]; we must put out the light of the stars and the light of the sun and the light of the moon [_he puts out the remaining candles and comes down to where the others are_], till we have brought everything to nothing once again.
The Unicorn from the Stars and Other Plays Lady Gregory 1897
-
That ain't you talkin ', any more than this candle is a candle.
SHORTY DREAMS 2010
-
Sometimes a mirrored tray, glass beads and a candle is all I need for an elegant look and other times a watering can filled with hydrangeas is great for a more homey relaxed feel.
Centerpieces 2008
-
And they had what we called candle holders, a thing that you'd put the candle in.
-
Since the Paschal candle is already lit, the five grains of incense already inserted, and the lights of the church already lit, the Exsultet is sung by the deacon all at once.
-
The procession goes to the middle of the church, another candle is lit, and the deacon again raises the reed, genuflects and sings in a higher tone “Lumen Christi”; all respond as before.
-
She drew a candle from the grub-box and lighted it.
A DAY'S LODGING 2010
-
At the end of each psalm, a candle is extinguished on the hearse, going from bottom to top; this represents the Apostles and disciples abandoning the Savior as He goes forth to His Passion.
john commented on the word candle
"I'd rather light a candle than curse your darkness."
Gale, "Raising Arizona"
June 22, 2008