Word Origins

Every day at Brass & Silver Traditions we use words like lantern, candle, candelabra, and so many more. Rarely, though, do we stop to wonder how those words came to be part of our modern vocabulary. Well, we decided to investigate a bit, and today we are going to share some of our findings with you just for fun. Enjoy!

Chandler: Many of the words we use in our business are variations like this one. Chandler was used as a surname dating back to the late 13th century to indicate the profession of candle maker. Chandler was also used to indicate the person responsible for the lighting of a household or monastery. Today chandler means maker or seller of candles.

Candle: The modern use of the word candle originates from the Latin candela which means "a light or torch," and also candere which means "to shine."Candles were used widely in the times of the early Romans and Etruscans. One note of interest is that candles were not used by the ancient Greeks, who instead used lamps that burned oil.

Snuffer: Snuffer finds it's origins from the late 14th century word snoffe which is a noun meaning "burned part of a candle wick." How the word snoffe came into use remains unclear.

Sconce: The etymology of sconce is from the Latin absconsus, and the French esconce. It is a word of many meanings, mostly signifying a covering or protection, or, by extension, that which is covered or protected. The first use of this word was in reference to a candlestick with a screen. Beginning in the 15th century, sconce began to refer to and wall mounted light.

Trivet: Trivet is one of the more intuitive words, traditionally being used to indicate a stand with three legs.As early as the 12th century, references can be found to the word trefet, probably derived from the Latin tripedem meaning three(tri) footed(ped). Today, of course, we use the word trivet to indicate any hot plate. Our Brass & Silver Traditions trivets remain true to the original word by continuing to use the three-footed design.

Bell: Bell, formerly spelled belle, is thought by some to have originated from the Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) word base bhel- which meant "to sound, to swell, or to roar."

We hope that you have enjoyed this information. If we can discover any other word origins of interest we will post them in the future!