means The thin cord or strip of fibrous material in a candle or lamp that draws up fuel by capillary action and sustains the flame.

from From Old English 'weoce,' the wick of a lamp or candle, with cousins in Old High German 'wioh' and Dutch 'wiek.' The further roots are murky — the Germanic family is clear, but where it ultimately came from is uncertain. Worth noting: the 'wick' meaning 'town' or 'dwelling' (as in Warwick, Gatwick) is a completely separate word, borrowed from Latin 'vicus,' so a candle's wick and a village's -wick are strangers who happen to share spelling.