■ noun
1》 a cylinder or block of wax or tallow with a central wick which is lit to produce light as it burns.
2》 (also international ~ ) Physics a unit of luminous intensity, superseded by the candela.
■ verb test (an egg) for freshness or fertility by holding it to the light.
Phrases
be unable to hold a ~ to informal be not nearly as good as.
( the game's ) not worth the ~ the potential advantages to be gained from doing something do not justify the cost or trouble involved.
Derivatives
~r noun
Origin
OE candel , from L. candela , from candere 'be white or glisten'.