wick

mèche

Fil d’une bougie ou d’une lampe à huile qui absorbe le combustible et brûle pour éclairer.

En anglais simple : The thread inside a candle or oil lamp that draws up fuel and burns to produce light.

• Light the wick with a match.
• She trimmed the candle's wick before lighting it.
• The lamp went out because its wick was too short.

Expressions courantes : candle wick, lamp wick, light the wick, trim the wick

mèche

Bande de matière qui absorbe et conduit un liquide, parfois placée dans une plaie pour en évacuer les fluides.

En anglais simple : A strip of material that draws liquid through itself, sometimes placed in a wound to remove fluid.

• The wick draws water into the soil.
• A nurse placed a gauze wick in the wound.
• Remove the wick when the fluid stops draining.

Expressions courantes : gauze wick, drainage wick, insert a wick, absorbent wick

absorber, évacuer par capillarité

Pour une matière, absorber un liquide ou l’évacuer en le faisant passer par de petits espaces.

En anglais simple : If a material does this, it draws liquid into itself or carries it away through tiny spaces.

• This fabric wicks moisture away.
• The cotton cord wicked water into the pot.
• Choose a shirt that wicks sweat away from your body.

Comment l'utiliser : wick something away from something (The fabric wicks sweat away from your skin.)

Synonymes : draw off, draw up

Expressions courantes : wick away moisture, wick sweat away, wick water