chandelier
English edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from French chandelier, from Latin candelabrum, from candela (“a candle”). Doublet of candelabrum. See also candle.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
chandelier (plural chandeliers)
- A branched, often ornate, lighting fixture suspended from the ceiling
- 1929, M. Barnard Eldershaw, A House Is Built, Chapter VII, Section vi:
- She opened the drawing-room door in trepidation. Would she find Esther drowned with her head in the goldfish bowl, or hanged from the chandelier by her stay-lace?
- (auction) A fictional bidder used to increase the price at an auction.
- Synonym: wall
- 2007, Frank Pope, "Dragon Sea: a true tale of treasure, archeology, and greed off the coast of Vietnam", Harcourt Books, p. 306.
- A mysterious phone bidder was grabbing the pieces that no one else wanted—Mensun suspected this was the auction house "bidding against the chandelier," protecting itself against selling too low.
- (obsolete, military) A portable frame used to support temporary wooden fences.
- 1747, James Boswell, The Scots Book, volume 9, page 37:
- Chandelier. A wooden frame, whereon are laid fascines or faggots, to cover the workmen in making approaches.
- 1994, Todd A. Shallat, Structures in the Stream: Water, Science, and the Rise of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, University of Texas Press, page 32:
- Europeans solved this problem by building a temporary fence with tightly bound sticks ("fascines") stacked into wooden frames ("chandeliers").
- (surgery) An endoilluminator used in eye surgery.
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Translations edit
branched, often ornate, lighting fixture suspended from the ceiling
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Further reading edit
- “chandelier”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “chandelier”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
French edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Inherited from Latin candēlābrum, with a change in suffix. Doublet of candélabre.
Noun edit
chandelier m (plural chandeliers)
Related terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
From chandelle + -ier, or from Medieval Latin candelārius. Compare Catalan candeler, Italian candelaio, Spanish candelero.
Noun edit
chandelier m (plural chandeliers)
Further reading edit
- “chandelier”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Spanish edit
Noun edit
chandelier m (plural chandelieres)