Word.ws English Dictionary

courting candle

courting candle noun: a coil-shaped candle, or a cylindrical candle placed inside of a spiral metal candleholder, historically used to limit the length of a suitor's visit during courtship. When the candle burned down to a certain adjustable point, it signaled that the suitor’s time was up and they were expected to leave.

Noun

courting candle (plural courting candles)

  1. A coil-shaped candle, or a cylindrical candle placed inside of a spiral metal candleholder, historically used to limit the length of a suitor's visit during courtship. When the candle burned down to a certain adjustable point, it signaled that the suitor’s time was up and they were expected to leave.
    • In the 1600’s to the 1800’s, courting candles were used by the man of the home to set boundaries for his daughter. When the daughter’s suitor came calling, the father lit the candle in a sitting room where the couple conversed. When the candles burnt to the metal at the top of the candle holder, it...2017 February 8, “The Courting Candle”, in whispersofhismovement.com

Forms of courting candle

pluralcourting candles

Questions about courting candle

What does courting candle mean?
Courting candle means a coil-shaped candle, or a cylindrical candle placed inside of a spiral metal candleholder, historically used to limit the length of a suitor's visit during courtship. When the candle burned down to a certain adjustable point, it signaled that the suitor’s time was up and they were expected to leave.
What part of speech is courting candle?
Courting candle is a noun.
What is the plural of courting candle?
The plural of courting candle is courting candles.

Words near courting candle in the dictionary

  1. courtiership
  2. courtierships
  3. courtiery
  4. courtin'
  5. courting
  6. courting candle
  7. courting candles
  8. courtings
  9. Courtiour
  10. courtisanerie
  11. courtisaneries

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: courting candle (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.

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