Chaundeler

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A medieval craftsman who made or sold tallow and wax candles ; a holder or stand that supports a candle or lamp
2. Someone in the Middle English period who manufactured or traded in candles ; a support on which a candle or light was set
3. An artisan or tradesman dealing in candles during the medieval era ; a stand or fixture designed to hold a burning candle

Etymology: In Middle English, a "chaundeler" was a maker or seller of candles, the spelling that became the modern "chandler." The word came into English from Anglo-Norman and Old French "chandelier," which descends from Late Latin "candelarius," from Latin "candela," meaning "candle." That Latin noun comes from "candere," "to shine," so the trade's name is built on the idea of light. The most surprising twist is that the word's original sense has mostly vanished from everyday use. Its best-known modern survivor is "ship chandler," a merchant who supplies vessels with stores and equipment. The sense shifted as candles were no longer the only goods such merchants sold, and the ship-supply meaning is what most people now recognise. The same French root also gave English "chandelier," a candle holder, which keeps the original association with light.