candelabrum

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A large decorative candlestick having several arms or branches.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. In antiquity: A candlestick.
2. n. A lampstand; a kind of stand used among the Romans to support a lamp or lamps. Such stands vary in height from those of only a few inches, and intended to rest upon a table or shelf, to those of 4 feet or more, which raised the lamps to a height sufficient to illuminate an apartment. In general, such candelabra consist of a long shaft or rod rising from a base with three feet, and supporting a circular cap or disk with elaborate ornamentation. Some examples are of enormous size and weight, covering at the base a triangle of 6 or 7 feet on each side, and rising to a proportionate height; these, often made of marble, were used in connection with religious observances, and were rather monuments or votive offerings than utensils.
3. n. Any branched candlestick differing from a chandelier or bracket in resting upon a foot. Some very beautiful candelabra exist in churches, most commonly made to hold seven candles. One in Milan cathedral, of bronze, dating from the twelfth century, is perhaps the richest in existence. The “seven-branched candlesticks” of the Hebrews (see candlestick) are properly candelabra.
4. n. A variety of arabesque in which a strongly marked vertical motive is present. Thus, a shaft or a sort of pilaster from which the scrollwork of the design is given off is called a candelabrum, and gives the name of candelabrum to the design itself.
5. n. plural In sponges, branching terminal spines.

Wiktionary

1. n. A candle holder.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A lamp stand of any sort.
2. n. A highly ornamented stand of marble or other ponderous material, usually having three feet, -- frequently a votive offering to a temple.
3. n. A large candlestick, having several branches; also called candelabra.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. branched candlestick; ornamental; has several lights