candidate
noun
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Roman Fashion Is Responsible for Candidate
When a man running for public office in ancient Rome greeted voters in the Forum, the center of judicial and public business, he wore a toga that had been whitened with chalk. As a result, the Latin word for someone seeking office came to be candidatus, meaning literally "clothed in white." Candidatus, in turn, comes from the adjective candidus, meaning "white." Candidatus was adopted into English as candidate, and since the 17th century that word has had an uncontested seat in the language.
Synonyms
Examples of candidate in a Sentence
Kristal Dixon, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
Voters were tasked with selecting four sanitary district directors from five candidates and the vote margins have been tight from the beginning.
—Jonathan Horwitz, Orange County Register, 19 Nov. 2024
The law also creates a process that allows a candidate to officially withdraw from one race to run in another.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024
Introductory scenes of candidates canvassing door to door in March 2023, eight months ahead of the election, plainly establish the lines of conflict.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for candidate 
Dictionary Entries Near candidate
Cite this Entry
“Candidate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/candidate. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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candidate
noun
from Latin candidatus "candidate," from candidatus (adjective) "dressed in white," from candidus "shining white," from candēre "to be bright, shine" — related to candid, candle
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