■ adjective
1》 truthful and straightforward; frank.
2》 (of a photograph or film) taken informally, especially without the subject's knowledge.
Derivatives
~ly adverb
~ness noun
Word History
The word ~ was first used, in the 17th century, in the sense 'white, glistening', this being the meaning of Latin ~us , from which it derived. It then acquired a number of figurative senses based on associations between whiteness and the qualities of purity and goodness, such as 'pure, innocent', 'unbiased', and 'free from malice', before taking on its modern meanings. Candid is related to candle and incandescent , and also to ~ate (from ~atus 'white-robed'): a person seeking office in Roman times traditionally wore a white toga.