cierge

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] French cierge, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin cereus (“waxy”), from cera (“wax”).

Noun

cierge (plural cierges)

1. A wax candle used in religious rites.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “cierge”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)

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French

Etymology

From Old French cierge, cirge, from Latin cereus (“waxy”), from cera (“wax”). The French word has an irregular development, possibly due to its contact with liturgical Latin or perhaps influence from vierge. Compare Dalmatian cir and Italian cero.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sjɛʁʒ/

Noun

cierge m (plural cierges)

1. (religion) candle
2. (botany) cereus

References

• etymology

Further reading

• “cierge”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.