candlepower

or cand·le pow·er

[ kan-dl-pou-er ]

noun

, Optics.

1. (formerly) a measure of luminous intensity expressed in candles. : CP

candlepower

/ ˈkændəlˌpaʊə /

noun

1. the luminous intensity of a source of light in a given direction: now expressed in candelas but formerly in terms of the international candle

candlepower

/ kăn′dl-pou′ər /

1. Luminous intensity, expressed in candelas.

Word History and Origins

Origin of candlepower¹

First recorded in 1875–80; candle + power

Example Sentences

Its contentious backstory aside, the setting floats atop Chavez Ravine with nighttime lights glowing like a crown of candlepower above the city.

From Los Angeles Times

For all the intellectual candlepower and richness of perspective she will bring the court, she doesn’t have the votes.

From New York Times

There are 46 names listed, compared with 135 candidates in the 2003 recall; none possess the celebrity candlepower of Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, who succeeded Davis.

From Los Angeles Times

They do nothing, for eons, bathed in a dim light of the distant sun, a bright point of light with just enough candlepower to read a book if such a thing could be located.

From Washington Post

The world was still measured in candlepower, and each bulb had the brightness of sixteen candles.

From The New Yorker