On Candidates and Candor

In the times we live in politics and political campaigns go on without interruption.  It is quite tedious and there is a general sense that our politicians have less candor than in times past.  This is True and I have the proof.

They all start out as candidates.  The word Candidate comes from the Latin "candidum" meaning white, pure, sincere.  It is a word that has not made it through into modern English in any strength but in medicalese you do find "Candida albicans"* the yeast that causes nasty infections of the nether regions; not an entirely inappropriate metaphor for politics.

The connection between Candidate and Candidum goes back to ancient Rome.  In that time and place if you were running for office you wore a special toga, one that was dazzling white.  You were then "candidatus", wearing the white robe.  Was this in fact an assertion that you were better, purer, more enlightened?  Or just a way to stand out in a crowd?

The sense of being bright or shining naturally gives us other descendent words.  Candle for instance.

The sense of an office seeker being candid or speaking with candor derives from the original "candidatus" but should be regarded as an obsolete concept in the current environment.

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* As albicans also means white this is one of many medical terms that makes little sense once you stop to think about it.