Etymograph

English

candida

Candida comes from Latin candidus ‘shining white’, from candeō ‘to shine’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kend-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kend-1‘to shine, appear’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kandēō1reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandeō1‘to shine’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandidus2as candida‘shining white’
  5. mulmodernCandida2
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1988candida2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin candidus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English candida
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1988, Robert McClory, The Yeast of Our Problems: “"What we're finding," says Marshall, "is that if we…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kend-Wiktionary, Latin candidus‘to shine, appear’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kandēōWiktionary, Latin candidusreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandeōWiktionary, Latin candidus‘to shine’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandidusWiktionary, English candidaas candida‘shining white’
  5. mulmodernCandidaWiktionary, English candida
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1988candidaWiktionary, English candida. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1988, Robert McClory, The Yeast of Our Problems: “"What we're finding," says Marshall, "is that if we…”

Linked words

through Latin candeō ‘to shine’

chandler, candle, chandelier, incendiary, candor, candela, 10 more

through Latin candidus ‘shining white’

incandescent, 3 more

Today it means

noun A yeast of the genus Candida, usually specifically Candida albicans

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “candida”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin candidus. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)kend- / candida

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