Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CAN'DI-DATE, n. [L. candidatus, from candidus, white; those who sought offices in Rome being obliged to wear a white gown.]

1. A man who seeks or aspires to an office; one who offers himself, or is proposed for preferment, by election or appointment; usually followed by for; as, a candidate for the office of sherif.
2. One who is in contemplation for an office, or for preferment, by those who have power to elect or appoint, though he does not offer himself.
3. One who, by his services or actions, will or may justly obtain preferment or reward, or whose conduct tends to secure it; as, a candidate for praise.
4. A man who is qualified, according to the rules of the church, to preach the gospel, and take the charge of a parish or religious society, and proposes to settle in the ministry. – United States.
5. One who is in a state of trial or probation for a reward, in another life; as, a candidate for heaven or for eternity.