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5 Words to Enjoy by Candlelight

Updated on August 24, 2017Commonly Confused Words
5 Words to Enjoy by Candlelight gif

Do you like candles? Some enjoy their light; others love the delightful smells of scented candles. There are some surprisingly interesting words associated with candles. Let’s learn about five of them.

Candlelight

Candlelight is the light produced by a candle or candles. In olden times, people used candles to read at night or navigate around their homes. In modern times, sometimes people hold candlelight vigils after sunset to show support for a cause or to mourn the loss of someone.

She had to finish her glass of wine by candlelight when the power went out.

Candlelit

Lit is the past tense of the verb light. So candlelit is an adjective that describes something lit by candles. For example, people sometimes enjoy the romantic ambience of a candlelit dinner.

The husband served a candlelit dinner to his wife for their tenth anniversary.

Candelabra

Did you know that in Latin, candelabra is a plural word? The single form is candelabrum, but most people treat candelabra as a singular or a plural. A candelabra is a candlestick holder. Sometimes, candelabra hold several candles or lamps. Some religions use candelabra in worship. For example, Jews use a candelabra with seven or eight candles called a menorah.

The entrance of the church was stunning, with a large gold candelabrum in the entryway.

The candelabra needed cleaning.

Votives

Have you ever heard anyone say they were lighting a votive candle? A votive is not a type of candle—rather, it refers to the purpose of the candle. Votive means offered or given to fulfill a vow. Over time, people started referring to the candles themselves as votives, but this definition does not appear in most dictionaries.

Churchgoers pay a few coins to light a votive candle.

Taper

To taper means to become thinner toward one end. Candles might come in jars, or in square or round shapes. As you might have guessed, only candles that taper are called tapers!

The long taper melted slowly over the course of the night.

Were you surprised to learn that candelabra is plural? It’s because it comes from Latin. Why not learn more about Latin plurals?

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