candidate
n. countablen. a person who is competing for a job, a prize, or a position in an election. It can also mean someone who is taking an exam.
n. a person who seeks or is nominated for an office, prize, or honor; also, a person taking an examination.
The company is interviewing each candidate for the manager position.
After the first debate, the leading candidate saw a significant rise in the opinion polls.
While the selection committee initially favored internal applicants, they eventually chose an outside candidate whose technical expertise far exceeded the local requirements.
From Latin candidātus (“a person who is standing for public office”, noun), from candidus (“dazzling white, shining, clear”) + -ātus, -āta, -ātum (participial adjective-forming suffix), in reference to Roman candidates wearing bleached white togas as a symbol of purity at a public forum. By surface analysis, candid + -ate (noun-forming suffix).
From Latin candidātus (“dressed in white”, adjective); see Etymology 1 for further derivations. By surface analysis, candid + -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Often followed by the preposition 'for' when referring to a position or 'in' when referring to an election.