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Candlestick

Household Objects
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A holder designed to support a candle upright. It commonly evokes vigil, prayer, fading time, or intimate illumination.

Detailed Definition
A candlestick is a stand, often of brass, silver, wood, or iron, made to hold a burning candle and catch dripping wax. In poetry, it can focus attention on a small circle of light surrounded by darkness. A tarnished candlestick may suggest ancestral rooms, poverty, mourning, or neglected devotion, while its shortening candle can become an image of mortality. Its steady flame also lends itself to scenes of reading, waiting, confession, and private remembrance.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The candlestick burned beside her letter” uses a small light source to create intimacy and suspense; A poet may write, “Wax gathered at the candlestick’s foot like pale tears,” turning an object into an emotional image; In a historical poem, a candlestick can establish a time before electric light; “One candlestick lit the table, leaving the corners of the room unknown” uses light and darkness to suggest uncertainty
Additional Notes
Candlesticks create a focused, fragile light, making them useful in poems about vigil, worship, intimacy, or dwindling life.
Also Known As
Candleholder
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