candidate
/ˈkæn.dɪ.dɪt/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.66 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A participant in an examination.
noun
A student taking a degree who has finished the coursework but has other remaining requirements such as a dissertation.
noun
A gene which may play a role in a given disease.
Example Sentences
- "Smith announced he was the party's candidate for the next election."
- "All candidates who miss the deadline or make a spelling mistake in their applications are automatically rejected."
- "Artiles, a Republican operative with a reputation for a foul mouth and sharp elbows, is accused of financing a sham candidate whose candidacy was intended to siphon votes from a legitimate Democratic candidate in a state Senate race in South Florida’s 37th District. The candidate has the same last name as then-Democratic incumbent Jose Javier Rodriguez but did not actively campaign for the seat and has since admitted being recruited as a spoiler."
- "Candidates must remain silent for the entirety of the exam."
- "After being presented with various suitors, she decided none of the candidates were the kind of man she was looking for."
- "In the past two years, NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has located nearly 3,000 exoplanet candidates ranging from sub-Earth-sized minions to gas giants that dwarf our own Jupiter."
Etymology
From Latin candidātus (“a person who is standing for public office”, noun), from candidus (“dazzling white, shining, clear”) + -ātus, -āta, -ātum (participial adjective-forming suffix), in reference to Roman candidates wearing bleached white togas as a symbol of purity at a public forum. By surface analysis, candid + -ate (noun-forming suffix).
Word Breakdown
- Root: *(s)kend-
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈkæn.dɪ.dɪt/
- British English: /ˈkæn.dɪ.dət/