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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)

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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00:10

Candle is one of our favorite verbs.

So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:

to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.

to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.

LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Idioms

burn the/one's candle at both ends. burn¹ ( def 54 ).

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.

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.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English, Old English candel < Latin candēla, equivalent to cand(ēre) to shine + -ēla deverbal noun suffix; see candid

Related forms

can·dler, noun

un·can·dled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To Candle

Collins

World English Dictionary

candle (ˈkænd^əl)

—n
1.	a cylindrical piece of wax, tallow, or other fatty substance surrounding a wick, which is burned to produce light
2.	physics
	a. See international candle
	b. another name for candela
3.	burn the candle at both ends to exhaust oneself, esp by being up late and getting up early to work
4.	informal not hold a candle to to be inferior or contemptible in comparison with: your dog doesn't hold a candle to mine
5.	informal not worth the candle not worth the price or trouble entailed (esp in the phrase the game's not worth the candle)

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

[Old English candel, from Latin candēla, from candēre to be white, glitter]

'candler

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

candle

O.E. candel "lamp, lantern, candle," an early ecclesiastical borrowing from L. candela "a light, torch, candle made of tallow or wax," from candere "to shine," from PIE base *kand- "to glow, to shine, to shoot out light" (cf. Skt. cand- "to give light, shine," candra- "shining, glowing, moon;" Gk. kandaros

"coal;" Welsh cann "white;" M.Ir. condud "fuel"). Candles were unknown in ancient Greece (where oil lamps sufficed), but common from early times among Romans and Etruscans. Candles on birthday cakes seems to have been originally a German custom. To hold a candle to originally meant "to help in a subordinate capacity." To burn the candle at both ends is recorded from 1730.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

candle can·dle (kān'dl)
n.
See candela.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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FOLDOC

Computing Dictionary

Candle definition

Part of the Scorpion environment development system.
(1994-11-09)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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Easton

Bible Dictionary

Candle definition

Heb. ner, Job 18:6; 29:3; Ps. 18:28; Prov. 24:20, in all which places the Revised Version and margin of Authorized Version have "lamp," by which the word is elsewhere frequently rendered. The Hebrew word denotes properly any kind of candle or lamp or torch. It is used as a figure of conscience (Prov. 20:27), of a Christian example (Matt. 5:14, 15), and of prosperity (Job 21:17; Prov. 13:9).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

candle

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

Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia

candle

light source now mostly used for decorative and ceremonial purposes, consisting of wax, tallow, or similar slow-burning material, commonly in cylindrical form but made in many fanciful designs, enclosing and saturating a fibrous wick.

Learn more about candle with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences

Candle burn marks on the frame, which is original, testify to the picture's use

as a private devotional image.

The fire resulting from the coating and beads on the exterior of the candle

could ignite nearby combustibles.

The long winters and deep snows have trimmed the candle spruces into the

slenderest of columns.

Candle poisoning occurs when someone accidentally or intentionally swallows

candle wax.