candle
[ kan-dl ]
/ ˈkæn dl /
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noun
a long, usually slender piece of tallow or wax with an embedded wick that is burned to give light.
something resembling a candle in appearance or use.
Optics.
- (formerly) candela.
- 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.
- 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. Abbreviation: c., c
verb (used with object), can·dled, can·dling.
to examine (eggs) for freshness, fertility, etc., by holding them up to a bright light.
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.
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Idioms about candle
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; see candid
OTHER WORDS FROM candle
candler, nounun·can·dled, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use candle in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for candle
candle
/ (ˈkændəl) /
noun
a cylindrical piece of wax, tallow, or other fatty substance surrounding a wick, which is burned to produce light
physics
- See international candle
- another name for candela
burn the candle at both ends to exhaust oneself, esp by being up late and getting up early to work
not hold a candle to informal to be inferior or contemptible in comparison withyour dog doesn't hold a candle to mine
not worth the candle informal not worth the price or trouble entailed (esp in the phrase the game's not worth the candle)
verb
(tr) to examine (eggs) for freshness or the likelihood of being hatched by viewing them against a bright light
Derived forms of candle
candler, nounWord Origin for candle
Old English candel, from Latin candēla, from candēre to be white, glitter
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medical definitions for candle
candle
[ kăn′dl ]
n.
candela
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Other Idioms and Phrases with candle
candle
see burn the candle at both ends; game is not worth the candle; hold a candle to.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.