jack-o'-lantern

American  

[jak-uh-lan-tern] / ˈdʒæk əˌlæn tərn /

noun

1. 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.

2. a commercially made lantern resembling this.

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

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

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jack-o'-lantern British  

noun

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

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

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Etymology

Origin of jack-o'-lantern

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

But the pumpkin’s likely last stop will be in New York, where it will be carved for another shot at a Guinness record as the world’s largest and heaviest jack-o’-lantern, Gienger said.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2023

The aquatic jack-o’-lantern tradition is part of that.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 26, 2022

Rain falling on your jack-o’-lantern will invite every mold in the neighborhood to take up residency in or on it.

From Scientific American • Oct. 19, 2022

Prepare one in the usual way by cutting off the top and scooping out the inside, but instead of carving the pumpkin into a jack-o'-lantern, plop a jar with water and flowers inside.

From Salon • Nov. 19, 2021

Something about the way his cheeks puffed out when he smiled made him look like a jack-o’-lantern.

From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio

Related Words

• fruit
• squash