A small tool with a cup-shaped end on a long handle, used to extinguish candles by smothering the flame.
Compound of 'candle,' 'snuff' (from Middle Dutch 'snuffen'), and '-er.' Candle snuffers became common in the 1600s as a safer alternative to blowing out candles, which could scatter sparks and heat.
Candle snuffers were actually a big safety innovation—blowing out candles could scatter hot wax and cause burns, so snuffers (which smother the flame) were genuinely practical technology, not just decorative!
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