chandler

chandler — noun

1. a merchant or business that provides ropes, paints, food, and other supplies to

1.名詞
釋義

a merchant or business that provides ropes, paints, food, and other supplies to ships and boats.

例句

The harbour chandler supplied the fishing fleet with nets, ropes, and cooking oil every morning.

collocation: harbour chandler / ship chandler

Captain Yara visited the local chandler before her ship sailed to Taiwan.

同義詞
  • ship supplier

    more general term; less specific to port-side maritime context

  • provisioner

    focuses on food and drink; a chandler supplies a wider range of goods

  • marine dealer

    more modern and commercial; less traditional than 'chandler'

用法筆記

Often used in the compound "ship chandler" or "ship's chandler." This is the most common modern meaning of the word. The person sense and the shop sense (sense 2) overlap in common speech — "the chandler" may refer to either the business or the premises.

常見錯誤

❌The chandler made candles for the village church.
✅The chandler supplied ropes and paint for the fishing boats.
💡Sense 1 is about ship supplies, not candle making (sense 3).

2. a shop or store that sells ropes, paints, food, and other items that ships and b

2.名詞
釋義

a shop or store that sells ropes, paints, food, and other items that ships and boats need.

例句

Theo bought new ropes and a life jacket at the chandler near the dock.

typical location: at the chandler near the dock

The old chandler on Harbour Street sells anchors, paint, and fishing gear.

同義詞

用法筆記

Also called a "chandlery." This sense refers to the physical shop rather than the person running it, though in everyday speech the two meanings overlap — "I'm going to the chandler" could mean either the shop or the business.

常見錯誤

❌The chandler on the high street sells furniture.
✅The chandler near the harbour sells ropes and paint.
💡A chandler specializes in ship and boat supplies, not general household goods.

3. a worker who made and sold candles in the past, before electric lighting was wid

3.名詞
釋義

a worker who made and sold candles in the past, before electric lighting was widely available.

例句

In medieval England, the chandler worked next to the baker and the blacksmith.

Hana's great-grandfather was a chandler who supplied candles to the village church.

同義詞
  • candle maker

    direct modern equivalent; plainer and more widely understood

  • tallow chandler

    historical term for a chandler who worked specifically with animal fat

  • wax chandler

    historical term for a chandler who worked with beeswax or other waxes

用法筆記

The original historical meaning of the word. In modern contexts, the maritime senses (1 and 2) are far more common in English-speaking ports, while the candle-making sense appears mainly in historical writing or museum exhibits.

常見錯誤

❌We bought engine oil from the chandler at the port.
✅The colonial chandler made candles from tallow and wax.
💡The candle-making sense is historical; modern ship supplies are covered by senses 1 and 2.