votive candlen.
/ˌvəʊtɪv ˈkandl/, U.S. /ˌvoʊdɪv ˈkænd(ə)l/ 1. A candle, now typically small and made of white or uncoloured wax, intended to be lit as a votive offering or symbol of prayer, esp. in front of a religious image.
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1608 T. Price tr. O. Torsellino Hist. Our B. Lady of Loreto v. xvii. 491 For a gift, a votiue candle [L. cereus votiuus] of huge bignes, to wit of 300. pound weight, in token of a miracle almost incredible.
1834 Richmond (Indiana) Palladium 1 Mar. She repaired one evening to the Abbey of Saint Anthony, to place a votive candle and offer her prayer at the altar.
1943 R. Tregaskis Guadalcanal Diary iii. 27 I watched Father Reardon, his face pale in the flickering light of the votive candles, as he chanted the mass.
2009 D. M. Mellott I was & I am Dust Introd. p. ix. Mary Elizabeth asked me if I would reopen the church so that she could light an eight-day votive candle for the safety of her granddaughter.
2. A small, squat candle designed to be burned in a cup-like holder made of glass or similar material, often scented or coloured, and typically used for home decoration.
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1960 East Texan (Commerce, Texas) 4 Mar. 3/1 The centerpiece will be a tier arrangement of three colors of grapes and votive candles.
2016 Daily Mirror 15 Jan. 40/2 Pomegranate and Cassis Scented Votive Candle, £6, Debenhams.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2020; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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