Etymograph

English

chandler

Chandler comes from Old French chandelier, from Latin candelarius ‘a candle-maker’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kend- ‘to shine, appear’.

  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‘shine, glitter’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandela2‘a candle’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandelarius2‘a candle-maker’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400chandelier2
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chaundeler2‘a chandler’
  8. Englishtodaychandler2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin candela
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English chandler

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kend-Wiktionary, Latin candela‘to shine, appear’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kandēōWiktionary, Latin candelareconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandeōWiktionary, Latin candela‘shine, glitter’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandelaWiktionary, English chandler‘a candle’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandelariusWiktionary, English chandler‘a candle-maker’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400chandelierWiktionary, English chandler
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chaundelerWiktionary, English chandler‘a chandler’
  8. EnglishtodaychandlerWiktionary, English chandler

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)kend- ‘to shine, appear’

candidature, 8 more

through Proto-Italic *kandēō

candida, 9 more

through Latin candeō ‘shine, glitter’

candidate, candid, incendiary, incandescent, candor, 10 more

through Latin candela ‘a candle’

candle, candela, 3 more

Today it means

noun A person who makes or sells candles.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “chandler”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin candela. 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- / chandler

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