Pl. -bra. (Also in modern use, candelabra, pl. -as.) [L. candēlābrum candlestick, f. candēla CANDLE.]
1. Greek and Roman Antiq. a. A candlestick, usually an ornamental one. b. A stand on which lamps were supported.
1834. Lytton, Pompeii, IV. vii. One of those tall and graceful candelabra, common to that day, supporting a single lamp.
1853. Humphreys, Coin Collector’s Man., I. 252. Bronze candelabra of Etruscan workmanship.
2. An ornamental branched candlestick holding a number of candles; a chandelier.
1815. Edin. Rev., XXV. 106. Some of these [cacti] … divided into several branches in the form of candelabras.
1820. Scott, Ivanhoe, vi. Four silver candelabras, holding great waxen torches.
1841–4. Emerson, Ess. Art, Wks. (Bohn), I. 149. Galleries of statues, vases … and candelabra.
