Part of Speech: adjective
Pronunciation: ['kæn-did]
Definition: White, pure, honest, unbiased, frank or open.
Usage: "Candid" still implies a purity, almost a naiveté, that "frank" does not convey, "Candice, I wish you wouldn't be so candid when discussing our age!" For 50 years Allen Funt entertained people with his "candid microphone" on radio followed by “candid camera（用来偷拍的袖珍照相机）" on TV, recording people doing things they would not want recorded on tape or film for others to laugh at.
Suggested Usage: The definition above maps the semantic history of today's word: whiteness to purity to honesty, then frankness. The noun is "candor" (British-Australian "candour") and the adverb "candidly," not always the best way to talk. Today’s word is unrelated to "candy," which comes from Arabic qandah "candy," borrowed from Persian qand "sugar."
Etymology: The leap from "candid" to "candidate" might seem to require a rocket-powered pogo stick today but Latin candidat-us "clothed in white," the origin of our word "candidate," comes from candidus "white" just as does "candid." The reason? Roman candidates for political office wore a white toga during their campaigns. The verb root (candere) is also found in incendere "to kindle, set afire," the origin of English "incendiary," "incense," and "frankincense." An early source of artificial light, "candle," is also a descendant, and a candle-maker is a chandler (candle+er), of which there must have been many, judging from the number of people still bearing that name today. (Our thanks for Professor Dennis Baumwoll of Bucknell University for today's lexical enlightenment.)
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