candle

American  

[kan-dl] / ˈkæn dl /

noun

1. a long, usually slender piece of tallow or wax with an embedded wick that is burned to give light.

2. something resembling a candle in appearance or use.

3. Optics.

   1. (formerly) candela.

   2. Also called international candle.  a unit of luminous intensity, defined as a fraction of the luminous intensity of a group of 45 carbon-filament lamps: used from 1909 to 1948 as the international standard.

   3. a unit of luminous intensity, equal to the luminous intensity of a wax candle of standard specifications: used prior to 1909 as the international standard. c., c

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verb (used with object)

candled, candling

1. to examine (eggs) for freshness, fertility, etc., by holding them up to a bright light.

2. to hold (a bottle of wine) in front of a lighted candle while decanting so as to detect sediment and prevent its being poured off with the wine.

idioms

1. hold a candle to, to compare favorably with (usually used in the negative).

   She's smart, but she can't hold a candle to her sister.

2. burn the / one's candle at both ends. burn.

3. worth the candle, worth the trouble or effort involved (usually used in the negative).

   Trying to win them over to your viewpoint is not worth the candle.

candle British  

/ ˈkændəl /

noun

1. a cylindrical piece of wax, tallow, or other fatty substance surrounding a wick, which is burned to produce light

2. physics

   1. See international candle

   2. another name for candela

3. to exhaust oneself, esp by being up late and getting up early to work

4. informal to be inferior or contemptible in comparison with

   your dog doesn't hold a candle to mine

5. informal not worth the price or trouble entailed (esp in the phrase the game's not worth the candle )

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verb

1. (tr) to examine (eggs) for freshness or the likelihood of being hatched by viewing them against a bright light

candle More Idioms  

1. see burn the candle at both ends; game is not worth the candle; hold a candle to.

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Other Word Forms

• candler noun
• uncandled adjective

Etymology

Origin of candle

First recorded before 900; Middle English candel, candle, condel, Old English candel, condel, from Latin candēla, equivalent to cand(ēre) “to shine, gleam white” + -ēla noun suffix; candid

Example Sentences

The same forces that produce traffic jams and market bubbles—congestion, imperfect information, coordination failures—are at work here too, only with candles.

From The Wall Street Journal

In its way, “Today” has become a bright candle of remembrance and a symbol of communal care, along with a reminder that these broadly recognizable figures are still as human as the rest of us.

From Salon

As of midday Thursday, the fund is forming a bearish engulfing candle, though the magnitude of the reversal warrants attention.

From Barron's

While most sectors have beaten the S&P 500 this year, “none of them hold a candle to energy’s gain of over 23%,” Bespoke said in a note emailed Thursday.

From MarketWatch

As the sun set in the grief-stricken Canadian town of Tumbler Ridge on Wednesday, hundreds gathered in a main square, lighting candles for victims of one of the country's worst-ever mass shootings.

From Barron's

Related Words

• torch