rush candle

American  

noun

1. a candle made from a dried, partly peeled rush that has been dipped in grease.

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Etymology

Origin of rush candle

First recorded in 1585–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rush candle

Light is, or used to be, given by a “lamp,” a kind of Chinese lantern on a lacquer stand, the light being given by a rush candle.

From The Empire of the East by Montgomery, H. B. (Helen Barrett)

Before the first streak of dawn on that tardy, northern morning, Ridley’s ponderous step came up the stair, into the feeble light of the rush candle which the watchers tried to shelter from the draughts.

From Grisly Grisell by Yonge, Charlotte Mary

She opened the door slowly, and the rush candle showed her clothing scattered about the room.

From A Singer from the Sea by Barr, Amelia Edith Huddleston

It was now evening, and a faint light, shed from a rush candle, gleamed through the broken apertures of the low casement.

From Mark Hurdlestone Or, The Two Brothers by Moodie, Susanna

She lighted a fragment of a rush candle by the flame, and, opening a small box containing medicinal preparations, took therefrom a small vial containing an amber-coloured liquid, and held it to the light.

From Captain Kyd (Vol 1 of 2) or, The Wizard of the Sea by Ingraham, Jonathon Holt