Other forms: chandeliers
A chandelier is the grand branching light that hangs from a high ceiling. A crystal chandelier, under the chandelier, the chandelier fell.
It began as a frame for candles and became electric without changing shape, which is why chandeliers still have candle-shaped bulbs on branching arms. Crystal chandeliers scatter the light through cut glass, and the great ones weigh enough to need structural fixing. Note the pronunciation, shan-duh-LEER, and that the word is French and has kept its French shape entirely.
1nounchandelierA branching hanging light for a high ceiling.
“The chandelier came down in about 1974 and has never gone back up.”
chandelier is a light fitting.
French chandelier comes from Latin candelabrum, a candlestick, from candela, a candle. Candle, candelabra, incandescent and chandelier all descend from candere, to shine white.
Proto-Indo-European
*(s)kend-
Latin
candelabrum
French
chandelier
English, today
chandelier
Built from
Borrowed from French chandelier, from Latin candelabrum, from candela (“a candle”). a doublet of candelabrum. See also candle.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA