Candidate

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Candidate \Can"di*date\, n. [L. Candidatus, n. (because
     candidates for office in Rome were clothed in a white toga.)
     fr. candidatus clothed in white, fr. candiduslittering,
     white: cf. F. candidat.]
     One who offers himself, or is put forward by others, as a
     suitable person or an aspirant or contestant for an office,


     privilege, or honor; as, a candidate for the office of
     governor; a candidate for holy orders; a candidate for
     scholastic honors.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  candidate
       n 1: a politician who is running for public office [syn: {campaigner},
             {nominee}]
       2: someone who is considered for something (for an office or
          prize or honor etc.) [syn: {prospect}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  54 Moby Thesaurus words for "candidate":
     addict, agent, also-ran, applicant, appointee, aspirant, aspirer,
     assignee, baby kisser, bidder, campaigner, claimant, collector,
     coveter, dark horse, defeated candidate, deputy, desirer, devotee,
     dud, entrant, fancier, favorite son, freak, hankerer, has-been,
     hopeful, lame duck, licensee, lover, nominee, office seeker,
     petitioner, political hopeful, possibility, postulant,
     presidential timber, prospect, runner, running mate, seeker,
     selectee, solicitant, solicitor, stalking-horse, stumper, suitor,
     suppliant, supplicant, votary, wanter, whistle-stopper, wisher,
     yearner
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  CANDIDATE. One who offers himself or is offered by others for an office.