chandelier

noun

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

1. A branched, often ornate, light fixture suspended from a 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?”

2. A branched, often ornate, light fixture suspended from a ceiling.
3. 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.”

   “The bids are usually real but can be fake or ‘chandelier’ bids (non-existing bids taken ‘off the chandelier’) on behalf of the consignor, or bids left with the auctioneer in advance.”

4. An endoilluminator used in eye surgery.
5. 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.”

   “Europeans solved this problem by building a temporary fence with tightly bound sticks ("fascines") stacked into wooden frames ("chandeliers").”