jack-o'-lantern

[ jak-uh-lan-tern ]

/ ˈdʒæk əˌlæn tərn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR jack-o'-lantern ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a hollowed pumpkin with openings cut to represent human eyes, nose, and mouth and in which a candle or other light may be placed, traditionally made for display at Halloween.

a commercially made lantern resembling this.

any phenomenon of light, as a corona discharge or an ignis fatuus.

a poisonous luminescent orange fungus, Omphalotus olearius, often found in clusters at the base of hardwood tree stumps.

Nearby words

jack-go-to-bed-at-noon, jack-in-office, jack-in-the-box, jack-in-the-green, jack-in-the-pulpit, jack-o'-lantern, jack-of-all-trades, jack-tar, jack-the-lad, jack-the-rags, jack-up

Origin of jack-o'-lantern

First recorded in 1655–65

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for jack-o'-lantern

jack-o'-lantern

noun

a lantern made from a hollowed pumpkin, which has holes cut in it to represent a human face

a will-o'-the-wisp or similar phenomenon

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012