word history: The word candid was first used, in the 17th century, in the sense ‘white, glistening’, this being the meaning of Latin candidus, from which it derived. It then acquired a number of figurative senses based on associations between whiteness and the qualities of purity and goodness, such as ‘pure, innocent’, ‘unbiased’, and ‘free from malice’, before taking on its modern meanings. Candid is related to candle and incandescent, and also to candidate (from candidatus ‘white-robed’): a person seeking office in Roman times traditionally wore a white toga.