Election Language, 1: "Candidate"

       Election Day USA.  No federal elections in odd years, some local elections and votes on issues.  On a day typically swamped with candidates, let us appreciate...Latin...for its contributions to our political language!

       First off:  “candidate,” for which we owe thanks to the toga-wearing populace of ancient Rome.  In this case, those who were running for office wore white togas to mark them as candidates, and candidatus meant “clothed in white.”  The Indo-European root here is kand- meaning “to shine,” and gives us also the words we hope to find associated with candidates, namely “candor” and “candid.”  Do we find them?  Not usually.

       But this leads to other Latin-rooted, politically connected words...tomorrow...