A cord or strip of porous material that draws up liquid fuel to be burned in a candle or lamp. The part of a candle that burns.
From Old English weoce, related to Old Norse vekir (wick) and ultimately from a root meaning to bend or wind. The idea relates to the twisted or woven nature of traditional wicks.
Before cotton became standard, wicks were made from rushes, hemp, or even human hair twisted together. The expression 'burn the candle at both ends' literally referred to lighting both ends of a wick, causing rapid consumption.
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