chandelier

Etymology

Borrowed from French chandelier, from Latin candelabrum, from candela (“a candle”). Doublet of candelabrum. See also candle.

noun

1. A branched, often ornate, lighting fixture suspended from the ceiling
   She opened the drawing-room door in trepidation. Would she find Esther drowned with her head in the goldfish bowl, or hanged from the chandelier by her stay-lace? 1929, M. Barnard Eldershaw, A House Is Built, Chapter VII, Section vi
2. (auction) A fictional bidder used to increase the price at an auction.
   2007, Frank Pope, "Dragon Sea: a true tale of treasure, archeology, and greed off the coast of Vietnam", Harcourt Books, p. 306. A mysterious phone bidder was grabbing the pieces that no one else wanted—Mensun suspected this was the auction house "bidding against the chandelier," protecting itself against selling too low.
3. (obsolete, military) A portable frame used to support temporary wooden fences.
   Chandelier. A wooden frame, whereon are laid fascines or faggots, to cover the workmen in making approaches. 1747, James Boswell, The Scots Book, volume 9, page 37
   Europeans solved this problem by building a temporary fence with tightly bound sticks ("fascines") stacked into wooden frames ("chandeliers"). 1994, Todd A. Shallat, Structures in the Stream: Water, Science, and the Rise of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, University of Texas Press, page 32
4. (surgery) An endoilluminator used in eye surgery.