Wick - Definition and Overview

For the town in Scotland see Wick, Caithness. For the village in Wales see Wick, Glamorgan

A wick is a cord or strand of loosely woven, twisted, or braided fibers, such as in a candle or oil lamp. Common materials used to make wicks are cotton and paper. It draws up a steady supply of fuel to the flame by capillary action. Wicks are often treated with a flame retarding solution in a process called mordanting. This is to prevent the wick itself from burning - which would prevent it from drawing the liquid fuel up to the flame. "But true it is, that when the oil is spent The light goes out, and wick is thrown away." (Edmund Spenser)