lanthorn
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of lanthorn
First recorded in 1580–90; alteration by folk etymology (lanterns formerly had reflectors made of translucent sheets of horn)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After she was secured, we employed ourselves looking for limpets and muscles for supper, by the light of a lanthorn, as we had good appetites, and our provisions were scanty.
From Narrative of the surveying voyages of His Majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle, between the years 1826 and 1836 Volume I. - Proceedings of the First Expedition, 1826-1830 by Robert Fitzroy
He raised the lanthorn above his head, and looked over the wall.
From Starvecrow Farm by Stanley J. Weyman
Mary had provided me with a small dark lanthorn, and, with some difficulty I opened the cavity; but again was doomed to disappointment; it was vacant!
From The Mysterious Wanderer, Vol. III A Novel in Three Volumes by Sophia Reeve
The sergeant who held the lanthorn grinned, and a trooper at a distance called out of the darkness, "A bon chat bon rat!"
From Historical Romances: Under the Red Robe, Count Hannibal, A Gentleman of France by Stanley J. Weyman
"There!" my guide exclaimed, waving the lanthorn to and fro boastfully, that I might see its points.
From Historical Romances: Under the Red Robe, Count Hannibal, A Gentleman of France by Stanley J. Weyman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
