chandlery

IPA/ˈtʃɑːnd.lər.i/
IPA/ˈtʃænd.lɚ.i/

chandlery — noun

  • chandlerysingular
  • chandleriesplural

1. a shop near a harbour where the owners of boats can buy ropes, sails, paint, and

1.nounC2
Definition

a shop near a harbour where the owners of boats can buy ropes, sails, paint, and other things they need on the water.

Example

Darius walked into the old chandlery to buy new rope for his fishing boat.

go/walk into the chandlery

A small chandlery stood at the end of the harbour, painted bright blue.

a chandlery + locative phrase

Common collocations
  • the village chandlery
  • the local chandlery
  • run a chandlery
  • a ship's chandlery
Synonyms
  • ship chandler's

    old-fashioned phrase for the same kind of shop

  • marine store

    more modern, everyday phrasing in British and American English

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 2: this sense names the place; sense 2 names the goods sold there.

Common Mistakes

I bought a sandwich at the chandlery.
I bought new rope at the chandlery.
a chandlery sells boat supplies, not general food or household items.

2. ropes, sails, paint, tools, and similar goods used on boats and ships, viewed as

2.nounC2
Definition

ropes, sails, paint, tools, and similar goods used on boats and ships, viewed as the things a marine shop sells.

Example

Allison loaded boxes of chandlery onto the deck before the long voyage.

load chandlery onto a boat

The warehouse near the docks stored chandlery for every fishing crew in town.

store chandlery (uncountable)

Common collocations
  • a load of chandlery
  • store chandlery
  • ship's chandlery
Synonyms

Usage Note

Uncountable in this sense; never pluralised. Subject or object is usually a boat, ship, or marine store.

Common Mistakes

She brought three chandleries onto the boat.
She brought a lot of chandlery onto the boat.
as goods, chandlery cannot be counted.

3. a small room in an old house or castle where candles were kept ready to be lit.

3.nounC2
Definition

a small room in an old house or castle where candles were kept ready to be lit.

Example

Élise opened the chandlery door and lit one of the long white candles.

open the chandlery + take a candle

The castle's chandlery still smelled of wax three centuries after the last candle was made.

chandlery as a historical room

Common collocations
  • the castle chandlery
  • the manor chandlery
Synonyms
  • candle room

    plain modern phrase for the same kind of space

  • wax store

    less common; emphasises raw wax rather than finished candles

Usage Note

Historical or literary; modern houses do not have one. Often appears in descriptions of castles, abbeys, or large country houses.

Common Mistakes

I keep batteries in the chandlery of my flat.
I keep batteries in a cupboard.
a chandlery is a specific historical room for candles, not any storage space.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three name a shop that sells supplies for boats and ships, but they differ in feel and modern use. 'Chandlery' is the most traditional word and is now mainly used in harbour towns, sailing magazines, and historical writing; many everyday speakers do not know it. 'Ship chandler's' is the older, more formal phrase, often seen on old shop signs and in literature about the age of sail. 'Marine store' is the plain modern term most British and American shoppers actually use today. A sailor might say, 'I picked up new rope at the chandlery,' while a casual boat owner is more likely to say, 'I got new rope from the marine store on Saturday.'

chandlery ↗ship chandler'smarine store

Common collocations

Nouns

  • chandlery owner
  • chandlery shelf
  • chandlery list

Phrases

  • the village chandlery
  • the local chandlery
  • ship's chandlery

Prepositions

  • at the chandlery
  • from the chandlery
  • in the chandlery

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Chandlery comes from Old French 'chandelerie', meaning the work or place of a candle-maker (a chandler), from Latin 'candela' (candle). In medieval English houses, the chandlery was the small room where candles were stored. Later, because chandlers also sold other household goods, the word grew to mean a general supply shop, and then settled mainly on shops that supplied boats and ships.