One entry found for candidate.

Main Entry: can·di·date
Pronunciation: kan-d-dt, kan--, -dt
Function: noun
Etymology: from Latin candidatus "candidate," from candidatus (adjective) "dressed in white," from candidus "shining white," from candre "to be bright, shine" --related to CANDID, CANDLE
: one who runs in an election contest or is proposed for an office or honor
Word History In ancient Rome it was the custom for a person who wanted to be elected to public office to wear a toga that had been rubbed with chalk to make it white. The Latin word for "dressed in white" was candidatus. In time this word came to be used for the person himself, or the candidate. The Latin word candidatus came from candidus, meaning "bright, shining white." This in turn came from candre, a verb meaning "to shine, be bright." Latin candre has given us two other English words: candid, which at first meant "white, free from prejudice" but now usually means "honest, natural," and candle, the mass of wax with a wick that is burned to give off a bright light.