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Meaning of candle | Babel Free

Noun CEFR B2 Standard
ˈkændl̩

Definitions

  1. A light source consisting of a wick embedded in a solid, flammable substance such as wax, tallow, or paraffin.
  2. The protruding, removable portion of a filter, particularly a water filter.
  3. To examine (an egg) for freshness or fertility by holding it before a bright light.
  4. A unit of luminous intensity, now replaced by the SI unit candela.
    obsolete
  5. a moulded piece of wax with a wick in the centre, for giving light. We had to use candles when the electric lights went out. kers شَمْعَه свещ vela svíčka die Kerze (stearin-)lys κερίvela küünal شمع kynttilä bougieנר मोमबत्ती svijeća gyertya lilin kerti candela ろうそく 양초 žvakė svece lilin kaarsstearinlys, lysświeca شمع vela lumânare свеча sviečka sveča sveća stearinljus เทียน mum 蠟燭 свічка موم بتی ، قندیل ، شمع cây nến 蜡烛
  6. 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.
  7. the light from a candle. We had dinner by candle-light. kerslig ضوء، شَمْعَه светлина на свещ luz de velas světlo svíčky das Kerzenlicht levende lys φως κεριών luz de vela küünlavalgus نور شمع kynttilänvalo lumière dechandelle אוֹר נֵרוֹת मोमबत्ती की रोशनी svjetlo svijeće gyertyafény cahaya lilin kertaljós lume di candela ろうそくの明り 촛불 žvakės/žvakių šviesa sveču gaisma cahaya lilin kaarslichtlevende lys światło świec(y) د شمع رنا luz de velas lumina lumâ­nării свет свечи svetlo sviečky svečava s...
  8. Indicates how high or low church something is by height on the candle.
    idiomatic
  9. a holder for a candle. blaker شَمْعَدان свещник castiçal svícen der Kerzenleuchter lysestage κηροπήγιοcandelero, palmatoria küünlajalg شمعدان kynttilänjalka chandelierפמוט दीपाधार svijećnjak gyertyatartó tempat lilin kertastjaki candeliere ろうそく立て 촛대 žvakidė svečturis pemegang lilin kandelaarlysestakeświecznik شمعداني castiçal sfeş­nic подсвечник svietnik svečnik svećnjak ljusstake เชิงเทียน şamdan 燭台 свічник موم بتی کو اٹھانے والا اسٹینڈ giá đỡ nến 烛台
  10. A solid, usually cylindrical mass of tallow, wax, or other fatty substance with an axially embedded wick that is burned to provide light.
  11. Physics An obsolete unit of luminous intensity, originally defined in terms of a wax candle with standard composition, later in terms of a carbon-filament lamp, and superseded by the candela. Also called international candle.
    Physics
  12. a cylindrical piece of wax, tallow, or other fatty substance surrounding a wick, which is burned to produce light
  13. (Units) physics a. See international candle
    physics
  14. burn the candle at both ends to exhaust oneself, esp by being up late and getting up early to work
  15. not hold a candle to informal to be inferior or contemptible in comparison with: your dog doesn't hold a candle to mine.
    informal

Equivalents

Afrikaans kers
አማርኛ ሻማ
Azərbaycanca şam
Беларуская свечка
Български свещ
བོད་སྐད ཚིལ་བཞུ ཡང་ལཱ
Bosanski sam sveća
Català candela espelma
Čeština svíce svíčka
Cymraeg cannwyll
Dansk lys
Deutsch Kerze
Ελληνικά κερί
Esperanto kandelo
Eesti küünal
Euskara kandela
Suomi kynttilä
Français bougie chandelle
Gaeilge coinneal
Galego candea
ગુજરાતી મીણબત્તી
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi ihoiho
עברית נר
Hrvatski sam sveća
Magyar gyertya
Հայերեն մոմ
Bahasa Indonesia kandil lilin
Íslenska kerti
Italiano candela
日本語 蝋燭
ქართული სანთელი
Қазақша шам
ខ្មែរ ទៀន
한국어 납촉 랍촉 양초
Kurdî kerş mûm Şam
Кыргызча шам
Latina candela
Lëtzebuergesch Bougie Käerz
ລາວ ທຽນ
Lietuvių žvakė
Latviešu svece
Македонски свеќа
മലയാളം മെഴുകുതിരി
Монгол лаа
मराठी मेणबत्ती
Bahasa Melayu lilin
Malti xemgħa
မြန်မာဘာသာ ဖယောင်းတိုင်
Nederlands kaars
Português vela
Română lumânare
Русский Свеча свечка
Slovenčina svieca
Slovenščina sveča
Soomaali shumac
Shqip qiri
Српски sam sveća
Svenska ljus stearinljus
Kiswahili mshumaa
తెలుగు కొవ్వొత్తి
Тоҷикӣ шамъ
ไทย เทียน
Tagalog kandila sasang
Türkçe çerağ çirağ mum şem
ئۇيغۇرچە شام
اردو شمع
Oʻzbekcha sham
Tiếng Việt đèn cầy nên

Examples

“light a candle”
“blow out the candles on the birthday cake”
“snuff out the candle”
“That vicar used to be an evangelical, but she's crept up the candle in recent years.”
“That’s why self-consciously Anglo-catholic churches which are a mile high up the paschal candle can do reasonably well in the current climate.”
“For those towards the top of the candle, receiving holy communion is not the same as a celebration of the mass, and mailing the sacred host demonstrates a serious lack of reverence for the sacrament.”
“Clergy higher up the candle had different ideas. From the 1920s, Anglo-Papalism had favoured Roman fashions, and many of the Catholic clergy wore Latin cassocks — with plain or lacy cottas, and birettas — for the Offices; and, eschewing the surplice, an amice and alb — usually with Latin vestments — for the eucharist.”

CEFR level

B2
Upper Intermediate
This word is part of the CEFR B2 vocabulary — upper intermediate level.
See all B2 English words →

See also

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