Word.ws English Dictionary

Candlemas

/ˈkæn.dəl.məs/

Candlemas noun: the festival in the Christian year celebrated on February 2nd. It commemorates the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple.

Noun

Candlemas (countable and uncountable, plural Candlemases)

  1. The festival in the Christian year celebrated on February 2nd. It commemorates the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple.
    • To make Capons […] [S]ome for this Purpoſe make it their Buſineſs after Harveſt-time to go to Markets for buying up Chickens, and between Michaelmas and All-hollantide caponize the Cocks, when they have got large enough to have Stones [i.e., testes] of ſuch a Bigneſs that they may be pulled out...1750, W[illiam] Ellis, The Country Housewife's Family Companion: Or Profitable Directions for Whatever Relates to the Management and Good Œconomy of the Domestick Concerns of a Country Life...
    • They held high holiday from Christmas-day until Candlemas (February 2nd ), […]1890, Algernon Blackwood, Christmas in England, Methodist Magazine Volume 32 1890 pg481
  2. A quarter day in Scotland.

Forms of Candlemas

pluralCandlemases
alternative formCandlemass

Origin of Candlemas

From Middle English Candelmasse, from Old English Candelmæsse, equivalent to candle + -mas, following the tradition that the candles to be used in church during the following year are blessed on this day. Compare Old Norse kyndilsmessa (“Candlemas”).

Words formed from Candlemas

  • Burnt Candlemas
  • Candlemas term

Phrases with Candlemas

Questions about Candlemas

What does Candlemas mean?
Candlemas means the festival in the Christian year celebrated on February 2nd. It commemorates the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple.
What part of speech is Candlemas?
Candlemas is a noun.
How do you pronounce Candlemas?
Candlemas is pronounced /ˈkæn.dəl.məs/ (UK).
What is the plural of Candlemas?
The plural of Candlemas is Candlemases.

Words near Candlemas in the dictionary

  1. candlelit dinner
  2. candlelit dinners
  3. candlemaker
  4. candlemakers
  5. candlemaking
  6. Candlemas
  7. Candlemas Island
  8. Candlemases
  9. Candlemass
  10. candlenut
  11. candlenuts

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Candlemas (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Candlemas.wav.

Cite this entry: “Candlemas.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/candlemas. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.