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Glite Dictionary
candlepin

candlepin

8.6
Thin upright bowling pin used in a type of bowling with small balls
  • noun
  • /ˈkændəlˌpɪn/
  • US
translation icon : pino de candlepin
  • Posted by that's candlepin at 12:22 PM on August 21, 5 favorites

Examples

  • At the bowling alley, we played a game of candlepin bowling, which uses thinner pins than traditional bowling.

  • She carefully aimed her throw, hoping to knock down all the candlepins with just one roll.

  • Unlike regular bowling, in candlepin bowling, the pins can be knocked down and set back up for a second chance.

Synonyms

pin
vscandlepin
49 1.3

A wooden object shaped like a club set up to be knocked down in bowling

is thinner and cylindrical, a slimmer form used in a specific bowling variant
bowling pin
vscandlepin
3 1.4

A heavy wooden thing shaped like a club that players try to knock down in bowling

is slimmer and cylindrical rather than heavy and arranged in tens

Compounds

candlepin bowling
  • US
6.5

A game like bowling played with thin straight pins and a small ball you hold in your hand

Surface Forms

candlepin singular
candlepins plural

Morphology

candlepin = candle + pin (transparent) = candle + pin

The compound clearly denotes a pin shaped like a candle and directly describes the narrower bowling pin type.

Etymology

Candlepin comes from the two simple words candle, meaning 'thin wax stick', and pin, meaning 'small, narrow object', because the bowling pins used in this game looked like little candles, so a candlepin is a thin, cylindrical bowling pin.