Chandlers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person or business that sells candles and related items, often alongside other goods such as soap or household supplies
2. A merchant specializing in providing materials for illumination, especially in historical contexts
3. An individual or establishment engaged in selling various items, originally focused on wax products but now commonly includes diverse merchandise

Etymology: "Chandlers" is the plural of "chandler", and the surprise lies in how far the word has drifted from candles. Its ancestor is Latin "candelarius", a candle-maker or candlestick, built on "candela", the candle. That Latin term passed into Old French as "chandelier", which in French came to mean a candlestick or light fixture, and it reached English in Middle English as "chaundeler". The English word kept the trade sense: a chandler was someone who made or sold candles. Over time the term broadened well beyond wax. From the medieval period onward, a ship chandler supplied vessels with rope, sails, paint, and provisions, so the word now most often calls to mind a shop stocking marine gear. The candle has become the least important thing a chandler sells.

Synonyms: merchants, traders, sellers