English
candelabrum
Candelabrum comes from Latin candēlābrum ‘candlestick’, from candēla ‘a light made of wax or tallow’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kend- ‘to shine, appear’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kend-‘to shine, appear’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kandēōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandeō‘shine, glitter’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandēla‘a light made of wax or tallow’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandēlābrum‘candlestick’
- Englishearliest quotation 1922candelabrum
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kend-‘to shine, appear’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kandēōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandeō‘shine, glitter’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandēla‘a light made of wax or tallow’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandēlābrum‘candlestick’
- Englishearliest quotation 1922candelabrum
Earliest quotation: 1922, Thomas Stearns Eliot, Part II. A Game of Chess.: “The chair she sat in, like a burnished throne,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)kend- ‘to shine, appear’
through Proto-Italic *kandēō
through Latin candeō ‘shine, glitter’
candidate, candid, incendiary, incandescent, candor, 9 more
through Latin candēla ‘a light made of wax or tallow’
through Latin candēlābrum ‘candlestick’
Today it means
noun A candle holder with branches to hold more than one candle.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)kend- / candelabrum