Candlewick

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A fibrous strand utilized in candles that helps sustain combustion by drawing wax upward
2. The central element in a candle that enables flame production by absorbing wax for a consistent burn
3. A fibrous thread that draws melted wax to fuel a flame in a candle

Etymology: Candlewick is a compound that is almost exactly what it sounds like: "candle" joined to "wick." The word reached English in Old English as "candelweoc" and "candelwēoce," and it passed into Middle English as "candelwyk" and "candelwike." Its two halves have kept their original senses throughout, so the word has always named the thread running down the middle of a candle. The "wick" half is the older and more interesting part. In Old English, "weoce" was the word for the fibrous core that a lamp or candle burned, and the same root later gave us the modern "wick" as a standalone noun. Lighting a candle with a wick is an old technique, and the word captured the one element that made the flame sustain itself: the wick draws melted wax up through capillary action, so the flame keeps being fed.

Synonyms: wick