wick

[wɪk]

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A wick is a long thin thread or string used to hold a candle's flame.

When we talk about candles, a wick is what we see sticking out of the top. It's usually made of a thin material like cotton or paper and helps keep the flame lit as it burns down the wax. You can use different types of wicks for various kinds of candles – some are stronger than others – but they all work on the same principle: providing a steady flow of fuel to the fire.

How common is "wick"?

Word wick is considered rare in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.

Definitions

noun

A bundle, twist, braid, or woven strip of cord, fabric, fibre/fiber, or other porous material in a candle, oil lamp, kerosene heater, or the like, that draws up liquid fuel, such as melted tallow, wax, or the oil, delivering it to the base of the flame for conversion to gases and burning; any other length of material burned for illumination in small successive portions.
Example: Trim the wick fairly short, so that the flame does not smoke.
Any piece of porous material that conveys liquid by capillary action, such as a strip of gauze placed in a wound to serve as a drain.
A narrow opening in the field, flanked by other players' stones.
A shot where the played stone touches a stationary stone just enough that the played stone changes direction.
The penis.

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verb

To convey or draw off (liquid) by capillary action.
Example: The fabric wicks perspiration away from the body.
(of a liquid) To traverse (i.e. be conveyed by capillary action) through a wick or other porous material, as water through a sponge. Usually followed by through.
Example: The moisture slowly wicked through the wood.
To strike (a stone) obliquely; to strike (a stationary stone) just enough that the played stone changes direction.

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