Definition of CANDIDATE

candidate

Meanings

Plural: candidates

Noun

  • a politician who is running for public office
  • someone who is considered for something (for an office or prize or honor etc.)
  • A person who seeks to be elected or appointed to a position or privilege.
  • A person who is thought likely or worthy to gain a position or privilege.
  • A participant in an examination.
  • Someone or something likely or suited to undergo or be chosen for a purpose.
  • A gene which may play a role in a given disease.

Verb

  • To stand as a candidate for an office, typically for a religious one.
  • To make or name (something) as a candidate (to be chosen or deemed suitable for a purpose).
  • To make white; to whitewash.

Origin / Etymology

From Latin candidātus (“a person who is standing for public office”, noun), from candidus (“dazzling white, shining, clear”) + -ātus, -āta, -ātum (participial adjective-forming suffix), in reference to Roman candidates wearing bleached white togas as a symbol of purity at a public forum. By surface analysis, candid + -ate (noun-forming suffix).

Scrabble Score: 13

candidate is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
candidate is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
candidate is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

candidate is a valid Words With Friends word