candle

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

candle

/ˈkæn.dəl/
[ˈcʰæn.dl̩]
/ˈkeə̯n.dəl/
[ˈcʰeən.dl̩]
/ˈkɛə̯n.dəl/
[ˈcʰɛən.dl̩]

Rhymes with -ændəl

Where it comes from

From Middle English candel, from Old English candel (“candle”), borrowed from Latin candēla (“candle”), from Latin candeō (“be white, bright, shining”, verb); see candid. Doublet of candela and chandelle.

noun candles

A light source consisting of a wick embedded in a solid, flammable substance such as wax, tallow, or paraffin. light a candle
The protruding, removable portion of a filter, particularly a water filter.
obsolete A unit of luminous intensity, now replaced by the SI unit candela.
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 conspicuous.
idiomatic Indicates how high or low church something is by height on the candle. That vicar used to be an evangelical, but she's crept up the candle in recent years.

verb candles · candling · candled

transitive To observe the growth of an embryo inside (an egg), using a bright light source.
transitive To dry (greenware) prior to the firing cycle, setting the kiln at 200° Celsius until all water is removed from the greenware.
transitive To check (an item, such as an envelope) by holding it between a light source and the eye.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: taper, candela, standard candle, cd, wax light, candlelight, torch, flame, wax, flare, light, wheel, tube, sailing, sail, zoom

Translations

Every language

noun a light source

Español	vela, candela, cirio, espelma, veladora (Mesoamerica), blandón
한국어	초 cho, 양초 yangcho, 납촉 napchok
日本語	蝋燭 rōsoku
中文	蠟燭 /蜡烛 làzhú, 蠟 /蜡 là, 燭 /烛 zhú
हिन्दी	मोमबत्ती mombattī, शमा śamā
Kiswahili	mshumaa
Português	vela
Français	bougie, chandelle
Deutsch	Kerze
Italiano	candela
Ελληνικά	κερί kerí
Română	lumânare
Русский	свеча́ svečá, све́чка svéčka
Tiếng Việt	nến, đèn cầy
العربية	شَمْعَة šamʕa, قِنْدِيل qindīl
עברית	נֵר ner

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"candle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/candle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

candle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/candle

Chicago

"candle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/candle.

BibTeX

@misc{candle_2026,
  title = {candle},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/candle},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}