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candle
[kan-dl]
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. c., c
verb (used with object)
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.
candle
/ ˈæԻə /
noun
a cylindrical piece of wax, tallow, or other fatty substance surrounding a wick, which is burned to produce light
physics
another name for candela
to exhaust oneself, esp by being up late and getting up early to work
informalto be inferior or contemptible in comparison with
your dog doesn't hold a candle to mine
informalnot 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
Other 51Թ Forms
- candler noun
- uncandled adjective
- ˈԻ noun
51Թ History and Origins
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of candle1
Idioms and Phrases
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.
burn the / one's candle at both ends. burn.
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.
Example Sentences
Five miles away in Vernon, Manolo stood Thursday morning on the loading dock of the candle-making business he owns as employees loaded boxes of candles into the back of a black SUV.
The vigil took place at Birch Hill Recreation Ground in Bracknell on Friday evening, with candles lit and balloons released in Othniel's memory.
Nearby sits a potted olive tree and a lighted antique silver Illuminazione candle.
This wasn’t entirely an illusion, and for those with a candle burning in the window for democracy, it was a sign of hope.
Dozens of prayer candles dotted the field behind the department.
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Related 51Թs
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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