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Candelabra

This article is about the candle holder. For the hydroid genus Candelabrum, see Candelabridae.
A pair of candelabras with three branches, empty of candles.

A candelabra (plural candelabras) or candelabrum (plural candelabra or candelabrums) is a candle holder with multiple arms.[1][2][3] Although candelabras have been used to describe chandeliers, candelabras can be distinguished as objects that are placed on a surface such as the floor, stand, or tabletop, unlike chandeliers which are hung from the ceiling.[4]

The Romans used the term to describe a form of ornamental lighting,[5] which may be a tall stand that supports a lamp. In Judaism, the menorah and hanukkiah are special kinds of candelabras. Candelabras are also found in churches, some of which may be used in church ceremonies such as Tenebrae, and in certain Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church liturgy as the dikirion and trikirion. Candelabras in the form of branched candlesticks also became popular in homes as decorative lighting.

In modern times, electricity has relegated candleholders to decorative use, interior designers nevertheless continue to model light fixtures and lighting accessories after candelabra and candlesticks. Accordingly, the term candelabra is commonly used to describe small light bulbs used in chandeliers and other lighting fixtures made for decoration as well as lighting.

  1. ^ Shorter Oxford English dictionary, 6th ed. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. 2007. p. 3804. ISBN 978-0199206872.
  2. ^ "candelabra". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  3. ^ "Candelabrum - Define Candelabra at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  4. ^ Hollandbeck, Andy (17 November 2022). "In a Word: Shedding Some Light on Candle Holders". The Saturday Evening Post.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference macmillan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).